


As Long as You're Around, I'll be Safe and Sound

by Enjoltaires



Category: All Time Low, Bandom
Genre: F/M, Warped Tour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-10
Updated: 2013-04-13
Packaged: 2017-12-08 02:09:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/755766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enjoltaires/pseuds/Enjoltaires
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Nothing compares to what we share<br/>I don’t have a care in the world<br/>‘Cause even if it all came crashing down<br/>As long as you’re around<br/>I’ll be safe and sound"</p><p>Sam is quiet, reserved. Most of the time people don't notice her, but Jack Barakat does and she makes quite an impression on him.</p><p>It's about time for something good to come into Sam's life. Something good in the form of Jack Barakat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. People Shouldn't Cry

“Fuck you,” Sam screams as she walks through the bus to the bathroom, she would storm off the bus but would rather not present herself to the other bands in the booty shorts and tank top she slept in.  
“It’s not my fault your boyfriend dumped you,” Owen laughs because he’s an asshole  
“Shut the fuck up Owen, nobody wants to hear what you have to say.” Josh spits as he follows Sam through the bus to find her pulling clothes out of her bag  
“Ignore him, he’s a prick,” he says placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The mixture of being violently dumped via text message and Owen’s harsh words had forced her to the verge of tears, and Sam hates to cry. She doesn’t even know how he found out.  
“I just need to cool down before I hit him.” She mumbles  
“You’d have to beat me to it,” Josh laughs to lighten her mood and it works slightly because the corners of her lips turn up as she pictures the scene, there isn’t much she’d like to see more  
“I’ll see you on stage, I’m not coming back before that,” she says as she brushes past her best friend and into the bathroom.

Leaning over the sink she takes deep breaths. He’s not worth it. She tells herself, because doing anything to him would be giving him the satisfaction, and that was something she wasn’t going to do. She changes into black skinny jeans and a plain white shirt which was the first she’d picked up and luckily it’s clean. She takes one final deep breath and steels herself as she walks back through the bus  
“Never could manage our temper could we sweetie,” Owen purrs as she stalks through the lounge of the bus  
“Piss off Owen.” She hisses  
“You should really stop using that language, it doesn’t suit you,” he smirks  
“I really couldn’t care less,” she tells him as she walks past  
“No wonder he dumped you, you’re always so worked up, relax a little” Owen had a funny way of crawling under people’s skin, and he found it especially easy, and entertaining, to crawl deep under Sam’s  
“Fuck off.” Is all she can get out because the tears are so close to edge of her eyes, she’s about to step off the bus when Owen continues  
“You’d better get used to being single because no one in their right mind would be with you, look at yourself. Your life’s a mess.” He laughs and that’s the final push she needs to get the tears coming. She runs off the bus, slamming the door shut behind her.

She’s curled up on a random patch of grass around the back of Jack’s bus when he first sees her, Sam is a naturally independent person, she hates relying on people and trust doesn’t come easily for her; some people say she’s antisocial or just not a nice person but they’re lying, she has a good heart it’s just hard to get to. Jack on the other hand is the most social any one person can get, friends with anyone and everyone, he’s always happy and the girl who’s curled up in a ball round the back of his bus, clutching her legs to her chest has caught his attention.  
“Hi,” he says as he sits beside her, she says nothing but silently wishes she’d found a place further away from people, especially ones that would try to talk to her.  
“Are you crying?” Jack asks, his thick eyebrows knitting together. People shouldn’t cry; a fact that Jack has lived his life by from a very young age. Sam just turns her head away so this strange boy can’t see her tears  
“You are! Why are you crying?” he demands and leans round to try and look at her face, she just turns further and essentially has her back turned to him now. Jack continues anyway  
“You’re at Warped, girl! You’re supposed to have fun! Awesome bands, hot weather and hot girls, even though you probably don’t appreciate that as much as I do, but still!” he grins and she lets out a small laugh at his enthusiasm, he has this air about him that just makes her want to laugh, not at him, but with him.  
“Now that I got you to smile, will you tell me why you’re crying?” and suddenly she wishes he would leave her alone again, but of course she doesn’t tell him that and decides to just stay silent.  
“Just go watch a band, any band. Doesn’t matter if they’re the one you came to see, I promise you getting lost in it will help, if it doesn’t you can come and beat me up,” he says with a smile.  
“I’m not a fan.” She says so quietly Jack’s not sure she even said anything  
“What?” he asks  
“I’m not a fan, I- I’m in a band.” She says again, embarrassed that she had to repeat herself, and even had to say it in the first place  
“Oh,” Jack says, realising how stupid his mistake must have made him look, the fact they were in the bands only section of the venue completely slipping his mind, but then his grin grows because he got her to talk, and talking’s better than not talking.

“What band?” he asks and she doesn’t move her eyes from the ground  
“Aftershock,” she says in the same quiet voice as before, only now Jack’s listening out for it so he hears her.  
“What do you do?” he smiles at the progress  
“I play guitar and sing a bit” Jack thinks this is really, really cool  
“That’s cool,” he smiles; he likes to speak his mind.  
“What’s your name?” he asks then because it’s the logical thing to ask next.  
“Sam” she tells him and then realises that the strange boy who genuinely seems quite interested in her knows more about her than she does about him.  
“What about you?” she asks, verging on urgently  
“I’m Jack, I’m 20 years old and I play guitar in the band All Time Low,” Jack replies, determined to keep her talking  
“Cool,” she returns the response  
“You’re not crying anymore.” Jack states with a smug grin. Sam has to put her fingers to her eyes to realise that Jack’s right, her eyes are dry; she lets out a small laugh and smiles up at Jack whose big brown eyes look straight back into her blue ones  
“Apparently not,”  
“But why were you crying in the first place? You know who I am now so there’s no reason not to tell me,” To Jack, his reasoning is sound, to Sam its bullshit. She decides however that he’s being too nice to her to blank him completely and shakes her head as compromise.  
“Why not? I’m a good guy,” he grins because he’s made more progress  
“Because it’s stupid,” she says in an attempt to get him to drop the subject, a part of her doesn’t want him to leave anymore though, a small part that’s actually enjoying his company.  
“How about this, you tell me and I’ll tell you a story that’s equally or more stupid. If I don’t have one then you win and I’ll buy you pizza or something” he smiled, nudging her with his shoulder in a way that was almost comforting to Sam. When she didn’t say anything Jack revised his plan  
“Or we could get pizza now, and then you tell me” there was another pause and Jack just looked at her, awaiting an answer  
“Why are you so determined to know?” she asked in the strongest voice he’d heard her use, which was still weak by most standards  
“Because it made you cry, and you’re too pretty to cry,” Sam smiles a little and blushes at the compliment and Jack smiles at the way her cheeks colour light pink. When she doesn’t say anything Jack continues  
“Come one, let me get you some pizza” he smiled, nudging her should with his own  
“Okay” she murmured because she figured it wasn’t often you experience this kind of genuine kindness, and Jack doesn’t seem like the sort to take advantage of a crying girl. It's only when they both stand that the height gap becomes really noticeable, Sam just reaching Jack’s shoulder. She isn’t even that short for a girl; standing at five feet six, she’s just about average but Jack, eight inches taller, is above average and stands at six feet two. Neither mention it, because neither really notice it, Jack’s always been tall and Sam is used to being around Josh who’s at least six feet tall.  
“There’s a stall thing near here that sells the best pizza ever, as soon as you eat it you’ll never be the same again. I’m a changed man since my first time.” He tells her as he leads the way into the public area of the venue, she giggles at his seriousness

“So,” he begins with a smile as they walk “have you ever played Warped tour before?” he asks, glancing back at her as much as he can while still managing to keep an eye on where he is and where he’s heading  
“No” she answers simply but truthfully and Jack nods. When he realises he isn’t going to get much more out of her, he continues  
“We played back in 2007, god it was tough then. We didn’t have as big a fan base, so we had to walk round and convince people just to come and watch us to make it look like we had a crowd, and we had to sell a ridiculous number of CDs everyday just to cover the cost.”  
That’s how they go on, Jack asking a question which Sam answers, then Jack talks for a while until he thinks of another question. Sam likes talking to him like this, learning about him without really having to give opinions like most people would expect her to. Jack’s also content with just talking to her, as long as she keeps smiling at his words and giggling at his jokes like she is. They eventually reach the stall and it’s quiet because it’s away from all the main stages and Jack is secretly rejoicing that a fan hasn’t found them because he really is enjoying talking with her, or to her. He buys a slice of pepperoni pizza for himself and a plain one for Sam, she does go to protest against him paying but remembers that she doesn’t have any money on her, and Jack has already ordered so he has to pay now, and that has her blushing again which has Jack smiling again. They eat as they walk back somewhere without fans which cuts off the conversation though it’s not quite awkward, it almost is but neither want it to be so it’s not. Also, Jack hasn’t had this pizza since he came to warped as a fan when he was like sixteen and it had nearly made his day when he’d found the stall on the map and then made his week when he tasted that it was just as good as he’d remembered.

The two guitarists find a little mound of grass in the car park that’s free of other band members and sit. This time Sam doesn’t turn away from him, instead sitting with her body slightly turned to him. She doesn’t even notice. They eat quietly for a few minutes as Jack finishes of his slice, Sam still barely half way through hers.  
“I told you it was good pizza” he grins when he spots her smiling down at it, but she’s not smiling because of the pizza, even though it is good. She’s smiling because she can’t help it, she likes Jack’s company.  
“Who else is in your band?” he asks and he knows this question needs an answer more than one word, and that’s exactly what he’s hoping for  
“Josh sings and plays bass and Owen plays drums” he doesn’t miss the look in her eyes when she mentions Owen but he doesn’t quite understand what it means so he files it away somewhere in the back of his mind with the intent of figuring it out later, though it’s more likely that he’ll actually just forget all about it by the next morning.  
“What about you?” she adds because she wants to be polite  
“Alex sings and plays guitar, Zack plays bass and Rian drums. We’ve been a band for about five years now” he tells her and she nods in approval.

When he’s comfortable he’s got her talking in full sentences, pizza plates discarded to the side, he asks her  
“So what were you crying about before?” he smiles a little and hopes to make it seem like he’s not thinking lightly of the subject, but also not pressuring her into answering if she doesn’t want to. Her eyes break from Jack’s and she looks at the ground for a few moments, drawing her knees up to her chest before speaking  
“My boyfriend dumped me this morning” it’s not the full story, she hadn’t been crying over that, because she’d known that relationship was over a while ago, he was an old friend of hers and they’d hooked up for no real reason and kind of just mindlessly followed through with it for a few months. She was crying over what Owen had said to her, what he always said to her though she doesn’t want to tell Jack that because that’s the stupid part.  
“That’s not stupid, Sam.” He says in a serious tone now “it’s okay to be upset when you break up with someone, it can be really hard”  
“I guess” she shrugs and that’s all they say on the subject. Jack swiftly moves on to other topics of conversation that have Sam smiling and even occasionally laughing.

They keep talking for what feels like ten minutes but is actually more like an hour and now the conversation is less one sided, Jack is still doing most of the talking and Sam most of the listening but now she’s giving longer answers and asking question of her own. It only ends when Jack gets a phone call from Danny asking him where the hell he is and why he wasn’t at their stage five minutes ago. Jack swear multiple times before getting up as he pockets his phone  
“I totally lost track of time, I need to go play my set now” he laughs a little, looking down at her with a goofy grin that she kind of likes and she’s not sure why  
“It’s okay” she smiles back because she feels a little bit like he’s apologising to her  
“See you around?” he phrases it like a question, he’s sort of asking permission to talk to her if he does indeed see her around and asking her to talk to him again at the same time. Sam likes that thought.  
“Yeah” she answers simply because she’s not one to ever say to much and he just smiles at her for a moment before turning away and heading for where he’s actually supposed to be.


	2. Jack Thinks She's Beyond Gorgeous

Jack felt bad when he hadn’t heard of Sam’s band a few days prior, and so he’d done the logical thing and found their Wikipedia page, been linked to their YouTube and after listening to a few tracks decided he liked them, they were really, really good. He’d learnt that they were from New York, had formed in 2008 and achieved success with their EP “New”. He also found and listened to and downloaded their debut album “Static” in its entirety and he might just have bought a wristband and a shirt of theirs when he passed their merch stand a few days later.

It’s been about three days since Jack first saw Sam, he’s kind of managed to lose track of the days but he knows he’s played three shows between then and now. He’s wandering around the venue because he’s bored, occasionally bumping into fans and signing something or having his photo taken. He’s never really minded it, he loves his fans and when it comes down to it, they’re the ones paying his bills, so chatting to them for a minute is really the least he can do. He’s contemplating buying some of that pizza again because it was just that good when he hears something in the not so far distance that he recognises. It’s the intro to a song he’s listened to quite a lot the past few days, and he smiles when he hears it, changing his course and following the sounds to the right and around a few tents until he’s presented with a stage, and on that stage is Aftershock. He hangs around for their set, standing back away from the crowds and somehow managing not to get noticed in the hustle and bustle of the people around him, his eyes always staying focused on the band playing. He watches as Sam’s small hands move over her purple guitar and notes the look of pure concentration on her face as she plays, and how she seems to physically brace herself before singing the backing vocals. She’s not jumping around like Jack would be, but it’s clear she’s into the music by the way she’s kind of swaying and bouncing on the spot. Jack thinks it’s cute.

She has her eyes closed as she sings a chorus, and when she opens them again they connect straight away with Jack’s, who gives her a little wave and a huge grin. She misses the chord change and blushes, quickly picking the tune back up, eyes moving to the ground as a small smile pulls at her lips. She takes the chance to give him a little wave back between two songs while Josh is talking to the crowd and Jack pulls a face at her, sticking his tongue out and squeezing his eyes shut just because he felt like it. Sam giggles and though Jack can’t hear it, he can see the gentle rise and fall of her shoulders and how her smile is reaching her eyes. She takes a swig from her water bottle hoping it might quell the fluttering in her stomach that she hates to think Jack caused; she’s known him for what, four days? She risks another glance back up at him but he’s no longer stood where she’d just seen him and her smile quickly vanishes, the fluttering going along with it. With a small sigh she looks over to Josh who nods at her and she nods back, showing she’s ready to play their final song and as she plays the chords that have become second nature to her she ponders whether she might bump into Jack later in the day or ever again at all because she’d really quite like to maybe get pizza with him again some time.

All that pondering proves rather pointless when she says he goodbyes to the fans and leaves the stage, handing her guitar to a tech who all but rips it from her grip in his haste to get all his work done so he can get out and maybe see another band play. Josh pats her back and grins at her; she returns a small smile  
“Good show, Sam. I’ll see you later, I’m gonna go hang out with the guys” he says to her and jogs off in another direction before she can reply, Sam doesn’t even know who “the guys” are, but she’s glad Josh has some friends to hang out with and figures she’ll just go back to the bus and read or write a song or something.

She barely manages to walk another two metres before she hears a call from behind her  
“Sam!” the voice says and she stops, looking around timidly because the only person she know would shout for her just left and then Jack bounds into view from the direction of the stage  
“I was side stage, you walked straight past me!” he pouts slightly  
“Oh, sorry. I guess I just, uhh, missed you.” she stammers back, not understanding how she could have missed him and feeling quite embarrassed that she did  
“It’s okay, I caught up to you” he shrugs and pulls her into a one-armed hug that’s over before Sam even registers that it’s begun and has the chance to hug him back. Jack moves to stand beside her, hands buried in the pockets of his jeans as they start to walk out of the backstage area.  
“What’ve you been up to?” Jack asks her  
“Playing shows and chilling on the bus really. What about you?” she half smiles because for a girl in a band, her life is as boring as it gets. She’s not really all that social. When she looks up to him he’s smiling down at her  
“We’ve had a bit of press stuff and a few signings but other than that it’s been pretty chilled, I’ve hung out with a few new people which is always cool.” he nods. They walk quietly for a minute or so, both following the other which means they aren’t heading anywhere in particular. Sam is far too nervous to strike up a conversation, no matter how much she might want to, the hammering in her chest a constant reminder of this but Jack has never liked silence, so he starts asking things that will break it and Sam starts smiling when the first word leaves his mouth  
“What your favourite colour?” He starts with  
“Red. Yours?” Sam smiles back both at the silly question and how seriously Jack had been asking it  
“I like blue” he answers “what’s your favourite food?”  
“Um,” she thinks for a moment before saying the only food that comes to her mind “plain pizza. You?”  
“My mum’s pasta meatballs,” he says with a smile and a chuckle “they’re the best things in the world. Sam smiles at this and she doesn’t even know why. They continue for a while with the simple questions, favourite place, favourite song, favourite item of clothing. Then he wanted to make it more interesting.

They’d found another place to sit where people would just walk past and not give them a second glance; they’re facing each other this time and Sam is trying her hardest to look anywhere but his eyes because she’s worried she’ll get distracted if she does then not listen to what he’s saying and embarrass herself.  
“Let’s make this more exciting,” Jack grins and Sam pulls at the grass and bites her lip a little bit “so, we take it in turns to ask the other a question and whoever asks something that the other can’t answer wins!”  
“Okay” she mutters tentatively because this could go really, really badly  
“I’ll go first, what’s the worst thing on your iPod?” he shoots and she squirms a little, trying to think of something  
“Umm, Kesha? Madonna? I have a lot…” she trails off and Jack chuckles, satisfied  
“And now you ask me a question” he prompts and she thinks for a moment  
“What’s your guilty pleasure?”  
“Umm, eating a whole tub of marshmallow fluff in an afternoon? Does that even count?” he laughs before asking his second question “How old were you when you had your first kiss?” Sam blushes, again. She swears it’s all she does when she’d around Jack, that and laughing and smiling.  
“I think I was about eleven, I’m not sure. Who was your first kiss?” she continues, trying to respond with a question on the same level of embarrassing as the one he just asked her  
“Amelia Samuels. She was really sweet when I was like eight, and then by high school she was this huge bitch.” He says with a small shrug “umm, how many boyfriends have you had?” he asks and Sam pauses because she’s slightly embarrassed at the low number  
“Shit, I forgot. You don’t have to answer that one if it’s a sore subject. I’m sorry” he reaches over to place his hand on Sam’s knee and the touch is strangely comforting to her, though she didn’t even know she needed, or wanted comforting.  
“It’s okay,” she smiles “I’ve had two boyfriends” Jack nods at this then she connects eyes with him and it makes her smile a little bigger. “How long was your longest relationship?” Sam never made the conscious decision to turn their discussion from colours to relationships, that had been Jack’s choice and he’s slowly starting to regret it because his history with girls doesn’t exactly paint the best picture for him to present to the girl he’s fairly sure he’s crushing on.  
“Um, around eight months, she was pretty cool. What about you?” he’s not completely sure he wants to know because it has to be more impressive than his short eight months  
“I was with my first boyfriend for nearly a year and a half. He was a prick.” Sam says because she can feel how tense Jack is and she doesn’t like it because Jack’s supposed to be relaxed and happy, she’s the tense one. Jack laughs more than the statement deserved, mainly just out of relief.  
“Are you single right now?” Sam asks next  
“Yeah, I am. Very much so. I haven’t had a girlfriend in a really long time.” He says honestly. He can’t imagine himself saying that to anyone else, he’d probably word it more crudely, or say something about not wanting to be tied down because he’s young and doesn’t need a girl. He’d make it out like he’s single out of choice. There’s something about Sam that means he can’t help but trust her, he could never lie to those bright blue eyes, and he doubts he could even sugar-coat a truth.

“How many guys have you kissed?” Jack picks the game back up, placing his hand very close to Sam’s on the grass as he shuffles into a more comfortable position. Sam would blush again if her cheeks weren’t already a seemingly permanent pink.  
“I can remember ten but it’s probably more.” She says, the actual answer is sixteen; Sam’s had her fair share of drunken nights. “How many guys have you kissed?” she asks cheekily and it takes Jack a moment to figure out why she’s grinning quite so much and when he does he starts laughing too  
“Two. Two guys.” He admits sheepishly, his blush almost matching Sam’s now, as does his smile. Sam chuckles again at his sudden shyness.  
“Okay, how many people have you had sex with?” he smirks cheekily and she physically squirms before quietly squeaking out  
“Six.” She buries her face in her hands, curling up into a ball, she’s still grinning though. It takes a moment for Jack to figure out whether that’s a lot or not and he decides that on the scale of things it really isn’t. Though he’s kind of surprised because he never had Sam down as the one night stand type, not that she’s not capable because honestly Jack thinks she’s far beyond gorgeous, he just hadn’t pinned her down as that type. Though Jack could hardly judge her considering the number of people he’d slept with was no longer in single digits and he could count his number of girlfriends on one hand.

He leans forward and tries to pull her hands out of the way of her face but she resists with a small giggle.  
“Come on Sam! It’s not even bad” he reassures her but she doesn’t let up, shuffling back and away from him though the giggles escaping from her mouth tell him she’s not really all that upset  
“Yours isn’t half as bad as mine” he continues and that stops her and she lets Jack pull her hands away from her face before asking with a small smile  
“Why? What’s yours?” Jack freezes, pauses and then speaks  
“Okay, you win the game!” he says, clearly trying to just change the subject as quickly as he can. Sam’s smile drops  
“Tell me” she pushes, lips turning into a pout and eyebrows pulling together a bit in a sort of upset face that Jack never wants to see on her again when she could be laughing like she was just thirty seconds ago. That’s what makes him blurt it out.  
“Fourteen” he says and when Sam’s expression doesn’t change within a split second he panics and continues “we’re on the road and I get drunk a lot and it just kind of happens.” He genuinely looks quite ashamed of himself which has never really been a problem before for Jack Barakat because he’s never really cared about what people think of him though now he’s finding that he definitely cares what Sam thinks of him to the extent that he’s worn a clean shirt everyday since he met her on the off chance he might run into her. That’s quite a step for Jack.  
“You’re acting like it’s a big deal” Sam murmurs “it’s not.” And though she’s kind of freaking out on the inside because his fourteen is more than double her six, she’s more focused on getting him happy and laughing again.

It’s a good while later, both of them having lost track of time and moved on from the game that Jack’s phone goes in his pocket and he knows he only ever gets text when he’s late for something, and he so desperately wants to stay and talk with Sam for the next million years but he knows he can’t. He’s late for the show, again, but he’s not going to let Sam go just yet.  
“I have to go play my set, but do you maybe want to come and watch?” he asks with a hopeful smile and Sam nods  
“Sure” she smiles and he beams, standing up and offering her a hand to pull her to her feet. He leads her to his stage and purposefully walks her over to the far side so she’ll be on his side rather than Zack’s when they perform. He leaves her there with a hug as quick as the first one they’d shared because he doesn’t quite dare to make it last any longer and then he’s whisked away to get his guitar. Sam’s heard bits and pieces of Jack’s band before, Josh had always been a bit of a fan, and she finds that she likes it. Though she’s not as focused on the music as she is on Jack; the way he and the singer crack jokes between songs, how he bounces around the stage while still managing to not miss a chord, how he’ll go over to the crowd and interact with them, throwing them a pick or holding someone’s hand even just for a second, and how he keeps stealing glances at her every so often to grin at her or pull a face.


	3. Last Place is First Place for Losers

“You’re acting like you’re the only person in this band” Owen yells across the small back lounge of the bus, the signature smirk that everyone slowly grows to hate pulling at his lips  
“I did one interview! You need to stop acting like such a fucking prick all the time” Josh shouts back. They’ve been at it for a while now. Everyone’s used to it though; the arguments are coming pretty much every other day and the days in between filled with hostile glares and tense silences. This one is worse than the past ones though, usually after an hour or so of shouting Josh will storm off the bus to cool off or something will interrupt them. But this time Josh has this look in his eyes and it seems like he’s actually getting so pissed off with Owen he’d actually be willing to do some genuine damage. Sam’s seen this look in his eyes before and she hates it; it terrifies her.  
“Just calm down” she whimpers, pulling on Josh’s hand lightly to get him to turn away from the argument. He just sort of ignores her grip and continues to snap at Owen.  
“Josh please” she continues “he’s not worth it, you need to calm down”  
“Shut up, you little bitch. This is between me and Josh” Owen snaps at Sam who recoils back into her seat, hand slipping from Josh's. Multiple things happen in the next few seconds; Josh takes a swing at Owen and catches the side of his nose, knocking him sideways to the ground and Mike, their tour manager, comes in from the kitchen when he hears the commotion. He manages to get Josh off Owen before he breaks his nose and separates the two fo them and while all this is happening there's a knock at the bus door.

Sam dashes away, trying to escape from the fight and all the shouting that’s continuing now and pulls the bus door open to see Jack on the other side, looking concerned  
“Hey” he says softly and Sam just gives him a little smile because she knows he can hear all the shouting that’s still going on down the other end of the bus  
“Is everything okay?” he asks, peering inside the door of the bus to where he can hear the noise inside coming from  
“Um, yeah” she mumbles, following his gaze but when she looks back at Jack he’s looking at her, eyebrows knit together and a small frown on his lips  
“Are you okay?” he continues and Sam takes a moment to wipe the tears she hadn’t noticed had formed from her eyes and nods lightly  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” She says and it would sound more convincing if her words didn’t catch in her throat.  
“Come here” he murmurs and pulls the smaller girl into a hug. Since Sam is on the first step of the bus stairs she’s taller than she usually would be and it leaves her in a perfect position to bury her face in his neck and she does just that, banishing all nervousness because she really does just need a hug. Her arms circle his waist and he rubs soft circles into her back as he notes that her hair smells of strawberries and that generic shampoo scent that every brand has. It’s the sort of hug that’s comforting and leaves Sam feeling a little stronger because she feels like she has support and a little happier just because it’s Jack. They both pull back at about the same time and just smile softly at each other, both feeling a little warm and not because of the summer sun.

“I just came to see if you wanted to come play dodge ball with my band and a few other people, there’s like a competition thing and we were a person short, so yeah.” Sam thinks it over for a moment because sport has never really been her thing, and neither has meeting new people. Then she hears another shout come from the bus and decides that anywhere is better than here.  
“Okay, I’ll come along” she murmurs, biting her lip slightly because It’s really not like her to go somewhere with a guy she doesn’t really know all that well to meet his friends that she doesn’t know at all, but the goofy grin that Jack’s giving her is the sort that nobody with a heart could ever say no to.

He explains to her what the competition is, set up by Glamour Kills, a brand that his band is closely linked with, and then the rules of dodge ball which Sam already mostly knows but she doesn’t mind Jack reminding her. When they approach where all the people are milling around waiting for things to start, Jack subtly and slowly curls his hand around Sam’s and laces their fingers together, partially because he’s wanted to do it for a while now but also because he wants everyone in the vicinity to know that they kind of have a thing, even though he’s not sure if they do, because though he’s only known her for a short span of time he’s sure he wants to have something with Sam, and he doesn’t want any of the other guys here who are all equally if not more attractive, funny and talented as he is to spoil his chances with her. Sam doesn’t pull her hand away as all of her instincts are screaming at her to, because there’s a bit of her that’s smiling at his action and there are nerves bubbling in the pit of her stomach at meeting so many new people that are being somewhat settled by Jack’s hand in hers, though it’s also causing another set to erupt in her chest, but these are nice ones, like the ones in her stomach are moths and the ones near her heart butterflies.

She can see the crowd of people, mostly tall guys with hair a bit like Jack’s, and when they get close one of them notices Jack and calls out to him  
“Hey, Jack took your time. We’re starting soon!” a guy calls out in their direction and Jack just smiles in response, leading Sam over to them. The man is about and inch shorter than Jack, has brown hair with a large patch of pink in it and is a bit more well built than Jack who’s ninety percent limbs, though the pink haired one looks tiny in comparison to the guy next to him who is an inch shorter again but quite clearly likes exercise a lot because Sam doubts she could get both hands to go all the way round one of his biceps.  
“Guys, this is Sam” Jack smiles, squeezing her hand a little and the group of six stop what they’re doing and look down at her as Jack continues “And Sam, this is Alex, Zack and Rian who are in my band” he begins, motioning to the pink haired guy, then the buff guy and then another with a buzz cut and a smile that automatically makes Sam feel a little more comfortable. They all give her a little one handed wave or a nod in greeting “Then there’s Danny, Flyzik and Grieco who are part of our crew” he says motioning to three others and they’re all tall compared to Sam who can’t help but feel intimidated and she’s fairly sure she’s already forgotten the names she was just told  
“Nice to finally meet you” one of the second three smiles from across the small circle they’ve formed and Sam unconsciously moves a bit closer to Jack’s side and smiles at him in response as a blush crawls its way up her neck. All of them are thinking the same thing; Sam isn’t even close to what they’d expected. Over the years Jack has introduced them to several girls, all tall, most blonde and a few wearing very little clothing. They liked some more than others, and there'd been plenty of girls he'd never intriduced them to. Though Sam, with her big brown eyes, grey converse pumps, black leggings, men’s v neck that all but drowns her small frame and dark hair that falls in slight waves down to just past her shoulders looks like the sort of girl Jack would have liked back in high school before he was a rock star and could actually manage to hold a steady relationship. They’ve not seen him with a girl like Sam in a long time and it’s a welcome change, and they know they shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but they like Sam already.  
“Yeah, we’ve heard a lot about you. It’s been nothing but Sam this, Sam that from him recently” the pink haired guy Sam now knows as Alex smirks and the rest of the guys all laugh and both Sam and Jack blush this time.  
“Shut the fuck up, Alex” he says, hitting his best friend in the shoulder with his free hand and sneaking a glance down at Sam to make sure she’s comfortable around his friends and not creeped out by their teasing, he only gets happier when he sees her smiling. Jack stands and talks to his friends for a minute as Sam just kind of hangs on his arm but she listens because they’re talking and joking about possible tactics for the dodge ball games they’re games and certain ways to defeat each opposing team and she doesn't want to be the only one out of the loop.

Jack only lets go of Sam’s hand when they’re handed the special shirts made for the event and Sam is thankful she’s worn a cami under her shirt because she doesn’t want to simply pull her shirt off and replace it with the new one like all the guys are doing.  
“It’s a bit big for you isn’t it” Jack smiles when he sees Sam adjusting her shirt that falls to about mid thigh and is really more of a dress on her than a shirt. The shirts are red with the glamour kills logo in the middle and it reads “Dodgeball Invitational” on top of it and then “All Time Blow” underneath as their team name  
“A little,” she smiles back “I’ll tie it up” Jack watches intently because he has no idea what she’s talking about as Sam collects the extra material and ties it at the back with a bobble from her wrist when she looks up she isn’t expecting her eyes to meet Jack’s but they both smile when they do.  
“Come on, we play the second game” he says and retakes her hand as they follow the rest of their team to the benches that have been set up around the playing area. Jack didn’t realize that the event had been advertised and so wasn’t expecting there to be fans milling around and watching the games, not that he minds all that much he’s just very conscious of the camera that’s being pointed in the direction of him and Sam. Jack doesn’t mind people knowing about them, he just knows how intense some of their fans can be and only hopes they won’t turn nasty on Sam because there’s really nothing he can do to stop them if they take a disliking to her. Sam hasn’t noticed yet though so he doesn’t mention it.  
Sam sits on the end of the bench and Jack next to her and though they’re next to Alex and the rest of the team Jack’s attention is mainly on Sam  
“You any good at sport?” he asks and she chuckles  
“Not at all, are you?”  
“Hopeless. In high school they used to make us do this mile run and me and Alex would walk a bit of it, go to the burger king round the corner from school and buy some chips and then take a short cut and walk the end of it” he grins and Sam lets out a real laugh, her face lighting up in a way that makes Jack want to freeze the moment so he can just take her in.  
“Our gym teacher always knew something was up because he could never figure out how we’d get back at the same time as all the guys who’d at least jog around, when he knew we’d walked the whole way. He was so pissed off when he found out, it was actually kinda funny” Sam laughs more and because they’re fitting their whole team on a bench that’s only really meant to hold eight school children when she stops she has to kind of lean her shoulder on Jack’s so she doesn’t fall off. They talk a bit about their high schools, Sam discovering that Jack went to school with his band mates and Jack finding out that Sam only went to school with Josh and that they auditioned Owen in when they wanted to enter a battle of the bands competition. They also found out they both hated their French teachers and neither was very good at any subject that wasn’t music.

When they actually play their first game against a band that Sam doesn’t know, Flyzik is the first to go out, then Danny who goes and sits on the same bench as him, and then Sam gets hit in the leg, and she would go and sit with the other members of her team, but she’s literally right next to another bench and doesn’t want to look stupid walking all the way across to the other one so she just sits down where she is. She watches as Alex and Jack mess around, clearly not taking the game very seriously and trying to do “trick shots” and she laughs as they actually manage to get a few people out while stumbling around with their eyes closed and only throwing the balls from under one leg or after doing a three-sixty spin. They’re doing okay until a member of the opposing team gets them both out with one throw; they both laugh it off and Sam sighs lightly because they're both on the opposite side to her and she’d quite like to not be sat on a bench on her own. She pulls her legs up and crosses them, fiddling a little with the hem of her shirt and only looking up when something hits her in the side. She’s knocked a bit sideways as Jack slides into her after sliding along the length of the bench.  
“Are you impressed with my dodge ball skills?” he grins  
“Definitely, I’ve never seen anything quite like it” she smiles and he chuckles, nudging her with his shoulder affectionately and she nudges him back. This time there’s no reason for them to be sat so close because there’s a good two metres of bench free, but they want to be and this way Sam can lean her head on Jack’s shoulder and he can play with her fingers where they rest on her knee.  
“Who are all these people?” Sam asks, looking up at Jack from under her eyelashes.  
“Well, uhh, I honestly don’t know all of them. But I’ll say who I know” he smiles “the team we played are We are the In Crowd, the girl is Tay, the others are Rob, Cameron, Mike and Jordan and they’re really cool, we’ve toured with them a few times so they’re good friends” Jack explains, pointing to each person as he says their name and Sam really tries to remember them, especially if they’re Jack’s friends. He continues to explain who everyone is, telling a funny story about them if one springs to mind.

Alex is watching from the opposite side of the playing bit and he’s smiling  
“She’s different, isn’t she?” Matt murmurs beside him and he chuckles  
“Definitely not his usual, but I think it’s a good thing.”  
“I just hope he’s not just picked her up for Warped Tour” Matt sighs because they both, and everyone else who knows Jack, know that he could do with something more than a fling and Sam is currently fitting that gap perfectly.  
“I don’t think so; he’d never have invited her somewhere where they could be seen together if he wasn’t at least a little bit serious about it” Alex reasoned and Matt’s smile grew a bit  
“I guess so.”

Team “All Time Blow” lost all but one game, which they only won by cheating horrendously and throughout and between the five games they’d played Sam hadn’t talked much, but when one of Jack’s friend sat on a bench with them, because Jack would make sure they were always sat next to each other, she’d contribute to the conversation and even managed to make some of them laugh once or twice which she thinks is an achievement because they’re all funny people themselves. They leave the playing area in a small crowd and Sam feels strangely comfortable around these strangers and thinks it might be because Jack has an arm slung across her shoulder and they’re all smiling and being so welcoming to her and she really feels like she belongs.  
“I want a team photo!” Alex declares when they reach the tent where they left all their shirts and phones.  
The eight of the “All Time Blow” team assemble, Jack stood next to Alex with Sam on his other side, arm around her waist to pull her in a bit so she’ll fit in the picture. Jordan who Sam remembers is from We Are the in Crowd snaps a picture on Alex’s phone and smiles  
“Now do a stupid one” he says and everyone on the team laughs a little before pulling a face. Jack nudges Sam to get her to look up at him  
“Do this” he instructs, sticking his tongue out and going cross eyed and Sam giggles pulling the same face. Jordan takes the second photo and hands the phone back to Alex who quickly sets about uploading them to his instagram.  
“@awgaskarth: last place is first place for losers” They stand around for a while longer, most people going to talk to members of other teams they maybe didn’t get to talk to during the games or that they just fancy talking to and some heading back to the buses.

Jack and Sam go into the tent and Jack finds their shirts, handing Sam hers  
“Can I have your number? So we can like, text and stuff” Jack suddenly thinks to ask, this way they could actually organize to meet up and not just rely on chance meetings to see each other.  
“Sure, that’d be cool” she smiles and pulls her phone from her pocket, passing it to Jack who gives her his own in return. Sam’s is some Blackberry that she doesn’t know the proper name for, she just knows she can use it to text people and listen to music whereas Jack has the new iPhone that’s only been out for a few months and already has several scratches on the back and a small crack on the screen that he keeps promising himself he’ll get fixed soon. Jack types his number in, noting that her background is a picture of a puppy he assumes to be hers which is just cute on every level and types “Jack B x” for his name because he can’t think of anything funny to put at this moment. Sam smiles at Jack’s background which is of the blink bunny and his ridiculous number of apps, which are mostly stupid games. She saves her number as Sam Taylor because every other contact seems to have a nickname and she can’t help but wonder if he’ll give her one. When Jack drops her off at her bus later on they’re both happy because it really feels like the end of a very successful first date.  
“I’ll text you tomorrow, yeah?” he smiles as she steps onto the first stair of her bus  
“Yeah” she smiles as she turns to him, they hug again and this time neither needs it, but both want it.


	4. Holding her Phone Like it's the Key to her Happiness

Thanks to the wonderful technology that is the mobile phone and therefore the ability to text each other, Sam and Jack have been in almost constant contact with each other. The texts only stop when one of them is performing or doing an interview, or when they're together in the flesh. Even when Jack is hanging out with the guys, he’ll sneak his phone out to reply to her, hoping nobody can see, but despite Jack’s best efforts they all know what he's doing because why else would he keep smiling down at his phone? Two weeks have passed since the dodge ball game and Josh and Owen have argued everyday on Sam’s bus, so she’s been spending as little time on there as possible, either spending some time alone elsewhere or being with Jack. They’ve managed to meet up pretty much every other day since the dodge ball competition, sometimes spending just an hour or so together but mostly spending most of the day in each other’s company. They got pizza again and watched a few films on Jack’s bus but they seem to spend most of their time watching other band’s sets and Sam was quite surprised to see just how many of the people playing Jack seemed to know quite well.

One thing that had come of them spending increasing amounts of time together was a lot of photos, and maybe Jack hadn’t been exactly secretive about being with Sam, holding her hand a lot and standing side stage for most of her shows. He should have known that rumours would circulate and deep down he did, he just didn’t really mind. So now Jack’s twitter mentions are full of questions about who the mystery girl is, some have figured it out and have dubbed them “Taykat” as a mixture of their surnames. He smiles as he scrolls through them, occasionally looking at attached photos that are kind of creepy because people have been taking photos of him while he didn’t notice but he’s not too bothered, firstly because he’s used to it but also because there seems to be almost universal good will toward Sam and that’s kind of really important to Jack. The fans generally seem to prefer her to his past love interests, though he’s still not sure if he could be considered her “love interest” though she’s definitely his. He’s not very experienced with the whole starting a relationship thing because the vast majority of his stemmed from sex, so this is new territory for him, though he’s finding it exciting rather than scary. His phone vibrates with a text, pulling him from his thoughts  
To: Jack B x  
From: AAAAAAAASam Taylor  
You around? x  
He’d put that many “A”s in front of her name so she’ll always be at the top of his contacts list. He’s proud of himself for that. Jack climbs out of his bunk straight away and quickly changes his shirt to one that’s slightly less dirty; Warped Tour isn’t really the place for clean clothes, he types back a quick reply and says he’ll meet her at her bus.

He’s pulling a beanie on over his unstyled hair as he moves through the bus, heading for the door  
“Where’re you going?” Matt questions, eyes moving over his laptop screen to look at Jack where he's sat pulling his shoes on  
“Where do you think he’s going?” Alex teases somewhere from the bunks and Jack just gives him the finger even though he can’t see it because he can't think of a remotely good comeback.  
“Whatever, you’ve got an interview at like twelve and you’re on at one so just be back in time, okay?” Matt continues  
“When am I ever not on time?” Jack smirks but is out of the door before Matt can answer.

There’s no real method to finding another band’s bus in the maze that is the warped tour car park, or if there is Jack doesn’t know it, he sticks with wandering round in between all the buses and just keeping his eye out for the blue one that Sam lives on. He’s so accustomed to looking for it by now that it barely takes him two minutes and he’s outside her bus just as she steps out  
“Good timing” she smiles at him and he instinctively reaches out and twines their fingers. They just seem to fit together comfortably.  
“I don’t have long, I’ve got some interview at twelve and I play at one so we’ve got like an hour and a half” he explained with a half smile  
“Okay, I’m playing at three” Sam tells him and he nods  
“Let’s go see if we can catch a band playing” Jack suggests and they set off, walking in a comfortable quiet as Jack leads the way to the stage where he’s fairly sure Yellowcard will be playing, and he knows Sam likes them.

Jack’s telling Sam all about the interview he did yesterday, and how the guy who was supposed to be interviewing them didn’t know that Zack was in the band, seemed to not know anything about their newest album and thought they’d formed in 2006. They’re both laughing lightly and joking around a bit when Jack hears his name, he looks up to the excited voice and sees two girls in All Time Low shirts approaching  
“Can we have a photo?” one asks, looking as if all her dreams have come true.  
“Of course you can” Jack smiles, only now letting go of Sam’s hand to stand next to the first girl as the second takes the photo and then vice-versa as Sam watches on.  
“Is this your girlfriend?” one of them asks, glancing over at Sam who just blushes, it takes Jack a second to respond, during which he swears his head nearly implodes because is she his girlfriend? Should he say she is? Will she be upset if he does? Or if he doesn’t? his eyes lock with Sam’s and he decides that he’d probably know if she considered them officially together.  
“This is Sam, from Aftershock” he explains, proud of himself for dodging the question with such grace and the two girls seem barely satisfied but not brave enough to dig deeper.  
“You two enjoying yourselves?” he continues, trying to get them to stop looking Sam up and down out of the corner of their eyes  
“Yes! I love it here!” the first excitedly answers and Jack chuckles  
“Well make sure you keep it up, it was nice to meet you” he smiles and then gives each of them a hug before they head their separate ways, the girls getting about ten feet before exploding into a fit of giggles and screams because they just met Jack Barakat.

“Sorry about that” Jack murmurs sheepishly as he retakes Sam’s hand and she just does that thing she does quite a lot where she nudges his shoulder with her own as they start walking again  
“No need, you were really sweet with them.”  
“They are paying my bills, it’s the least I can do” he shrugs but smiles at the sort-of compliment  
“You know, for a rock star you’re not that much of an asshole” she jokes  
“Well, for a rock star, you’re awfully quiet” he retorts  
“I’m not much of a rock star though, people aren’t stopping me asking for photos” she continues to tease and Jack laughs and squeezes her hand a little  
“And you’ve been in a band half as long as I have and you have one album and we have four. You’ve got a long way to go yet” he says, ruffling her hair with his free hand and she bats it away, running her fingers through her hair to get it to sit right again. He chuckles at her pout and she tries to reach up to mess Jack’s hair, but only succeeds in pulling his beanie off as he flails his long arms around in an attempt to keep her away.

“Hey!” he exclaims when she pulls the hat over her own hair because he’d only worn the beanie because he hadn’t had time to do anything with his hair so it’s flat and not straightened and just generally bad as far as Jack is concerned.  
“Give me my hat back!” he laughs out because Sam’s gripping it at the sides and pulling it down and she’s grinning and laughing and her eyes are sparkling with the cheeky glint he’s only seen a handful of times. She looks so content and goddamn happy and Jack thinks this is the prettiest he’s ever seen her. He just grins back at her and dives for the hat but she’s too quick, dodging out of his way and running for the stage, giggling the whole way as Jack chases after her. She only stops when she’s side stage for Yellowcard, behind an amp and Jack jogs up behind her, plucking the hat from her head and just getting a pout and big puppy eyes in return.  
“I would let you keep it if my hair didn’t look so bad” he tells her, slinging an arm over her shoulder and she giggles again, leaning into him a bit before they both turn their attention to the band playing. Sam starts laughing again when she notices Jack dancing behind her, and when he sees her watching him he takes her hands and starts making her move like he is, just kind of bouncing on the spot going from leg to leg and putting their arms in the air in the sort of dance kids do. Sam isn’t half as enthusiastic as he is, partly because she’s not used to doing stupid things in public but mostly because she’s laughing too hard at the faces Jack’s pulling and how he’s dramatically miming along to the song and dancing off beat.

They have to separate not too long later and their stages are pretty much opposite ends of the venue so Jack leaves her with a long, tight hug, a cheeky grin, a compliment on her dancing skills and a promise to meet up again later. Sam’s smiling as she walks onto her bus, going straight to the fridge to get a bottle of water and then walking through into the back lounge where Josh and some of the crew are sitting around quietly. It’s oddly quiet, usually when there’s not an argument there’ll be music playing or loud conversation or just some noise but there isn’t now. It’s completely silent, bar the tapping of fingers on phones and the occasional deep breath. Josh looks up to her as she just sort of stands in the doorway  
“Hey,” he says “where’d you go this morning?”  
“I went to watch Yellowcard with Jack, he’s got press now” she smiles a little and Josh returns it, he has no clue where this Jack guy came from but he likes the effect he’s having on Sam, she seems happier all round.  
“Do you want to go grab some food? There’s a McDonalds just across the way” he asks almost nervously and Sam’s eyebrows furrow a little because it’s really not like Josh to be at all nervous around her  
“Of course” she says and he gets up, pocketing his phone and they leave the bus together.

“Why was it so quiet on there?” Sam asks when the door shuts behind them, her curiosity getting the best of her  
“We kicked Owen out. Matt told him that he wasn’t allowed on the bus if he was just going to cause fights and I guess it just got tense really quickly.” Josh explains meekly and Sam nods  
“Some of the crew are on his side, I guess, they thought it was unfair but I just can’t deal with him for much longer” when Sam looks to her best friend, the sight saddens her, pulling her smile down at the corners. He looks tired, dark bags hanging below his eyes that aren’t sparkling as much as they used to, they look dull and there’s far too much effort in his smile. There’s also a weight to his words that Sam doesn’t want to even think about.  
“I’m on your side” she murmurs and he offers her a more genuine smile, their eyes connecting as they walk  
“I thought you might be” he says and then his eyes turn back ahead as he continues “Lets go get us some food”.

It feels like it’s been ages since Sam’s properly hung out with Josh. The days they’d spend messing about their local shopping mall and the nights spent watching films till the early hours of the morning were like a distant memory now. Over the past few years their lives had become tours and albums and constant meetings and there were always so many people around them that they just kind of got lost in it. She feels like she’s found it again as they sit in McDonalds, purposely using the other’s ketchup pot just to be annoying and talking about anything and everything that’s not the band.  
“So, what’s with you and this Jack guy anyway?” Josh asks, wiggling his eyebrows as he eats another chip  
“Nothing, it’s nothing” she mumbles, the inevitable blush already clawing it’s way up her neck as she avoids eye contact with her friend  
“Well it’s clearly not since you’ve spent pretty much the whole tour so far with him” he smirks and the pink claims another inch of her skin as she just kind of squirms under his gaze  
“So are you two together or am I being replaced” he pushes and she gives him a look that says he’s never going to be replaced.  
“We’re not together” she murmurs  
“But you want to be?” he raises an eyebrow at her silence “I’ll take that as a yes”  
“Can we talk about something else?” she asks, her cheeks now burning red  
“Nope.” Josh grins cheekily “when do I get to meet him?”  
“I don’t know Josh; we’re not even a thing. I just like him, he’s funny and sweet and he’s just really, really nice” she says and just the thought of him is bringing a smile to her lips, Josh doesn’t miss that.

As they continue to eat it feels like they’ve talked about everything and of course they haven’t but Sam feels a bit like she’s got her best friend back though she never really realised she’d lost him. Josh’s good mood falls a little bit when they play the show, because Owen keeps saying things that Josh has to pass of as jokes for the benefit of the crowd and Sam can see just how annoyed he’s getting. So, when the show ends and before Josh gets the chance to stomp away Sam hugs him, it worked when Jack hugged her so hopefully it’ll work in the same way now. She can feel him relaxing into her hold, shoulders dropping and arms slowly moving up to curl around her waist as they just stand there for a minute or so before Sam pulls back and looks up to him. He doesn’t mention the hug because it doesn’t need to be mentioned, he just gives her a little smile of thanks and speaks  
“Do you want to watch a film on the bus, I need to wind down a bit and I think most of the others are off to some barbecue thing”  
“Only if I can pick the film” she smiles and he chuckles.

Josh and Sam are on the sofa in the back lounge, laying top and tail but there’s a screen in both corners of the room so neither have any trouble watching as Batman and Bane fight. They’re underneath Josh’s duvet which they pulled from his bunk and there are two tubes of half empty Pringles nestled between their legs. Sam’s phone vibrating is the only thing that can drag her attention from the film.  
To: AAAAAAAASam Taylor  
From: Jack B x  
You finished playing yet? I want to haaannnngggg xxx  
Sam bites her lip because she has and usually she’d already be with Jack, but she’s really enjoying the time with Josh  
To: Jack B x  
From: AAAAAAAASam Taylor  
I’m hanging out with Josh, sorry :( see you tomorrow? Xxx  
She’d mentioned to him how she never spent much time with Josh so she knows he’ll probably understand, though it doesn’t stop her biting her lip to the point where she nearly draws blood, only stopping when she gets a reply from him  
To: AAAAAAAASam Taylor  
From: Jack B x  
Don’t worry bout it have fun! I’ll text you as soon as I know when I play :) xxx  
Josh smirks as Sam releases her lip, trying to stop the smile that’s spreading across her features and failing. Josh decides to say nothing because he can see everything he wants to know, how she’s contentedly snuggling back into the sofa, holding her phone like it’s the key to her happiness and smiling in a way that somewhat resembles a kid on Christmas.


	5. Hold her in his Arms and Promise her the World

To: AAAAAAAASam Taylor  
From: Jack B x  
hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey xxxxx  
Sam doesn’t answer Jack’s first text because she and Josh had decided to watch the rest of the Batman films after finishing The Dark Knight Rises just because they could. It meant they’d both got a very late, or you could say early, night and therefore now that they’re both waking up they’re still tired. Sam doesn’t answer the next because even though the buzzing on her pillow has pulled her from her sleep, she’s struggling to find her phone in her only half awake state  
To: AAAAAAAASam Taylor  
From: Jack B x  
Are you going to answer me or what? xx  
To: AAAAAAAASam Taylor  
From: Jack B x  
Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam. Talk to me. Hellooooooooo?! Xx  
He sends three more similar messages before she finds her phone after a lot of rummaging in her bunk and just as she’s reading through them and giggling he calls her. Partly because he’s having fun potentially really annoying her, partly because he does really want to talk to her and partly because she’s usually really quick at replying and he’s maybe a tiny bit worried about why she isn’t.  
“Hey” she mumbles into the phone, once again smiling involuntarily as she curls back into her covers and closes her eyes  
“Why didn’t you answer any of my several million texts?” Jack demands and Sam can practically see the smile in his voice  
“I was asleep” she tells him and he’s ninety-nine percent sure he just died a little because she sounds so tired and downright adorable and a little part in the back of Jack’s brain that he doesn’t really pay attention to just thinks “I wouldn’t mind waking up to that in the morning”  
“Did I wake you?” he asks  
“Yes” she laughs a little and he would feel bad if it weren’t half twelve in the afternoon  
“Well you should be thanking me, it’s like one! What are you doing sleeping at this time?” he teases and they both know that if they were actually together she would probably hit him playfully  
“We had a late night” she tells him and she knows he would have wriggled his eyebrows and winked at her if she’d said it to her face  
“A late night, eh?”  
“Shut up Jack. We watched the Batman movies.”  
“Wow. Sounds like a wild night.” he jokes  
“Whatever. You’re just jealous” she teases back because she’s in no state to come up with a decent come back and he chuckles  
“Maybe a little bit” he murmurs and Sam smiles and rolls onto her back  
“What did you call for anyway?” she rubs her eyes with her free hand, still not fully awake  
“I wanted to know when you play today”  
“Umm I don’t know. I’ll ask Josh” she murmurs and stumbles out of her bunk, walking into the kitchen area where Josh is getting cereal  
“What time do we play today?” she asks him as he pulls her into his side for a one armed hug  
“We’re on at two, but I have an interview before it”  
“Okay” she says and then holds the phone back to her ear “Josh says we’re on at two” Josh just smiles down at his cereal because Sam quite clearly has a thing with Jack, no matter how much she denies it and when he settles on the sofa she moves back into her bunk.  
“Damn.” Jack sighs and Sam pouts a little “we play at 3 and I have press before and after”  
“Oh” Sam mumbles “we can hang out after though”  
“Definitely, and no standing me up this time either!” he jokes  
“I’m sorry about that” she smiles into the phone because she knows he’s not really all that upset. Sam stays on the phone to Jack until he has to go, once again with the promise to meet up later and she stays curled up in her bunk just day dreaming until she has to go play her set.

She’s left smiling from her conversation with Jack as she heads to her stage bouncing up the steps and only stopping when she hears some raised voices. Smile faltering, she heads through the bustle towards the voices and finds Mike and Josh. They’re not quite shouting at each other but Sam can see that’s the next step, their voices are raised and they’re clearly annoyed about something but what exactly she doesn’t know  
“What’s going on” she asks in her usual quiet voice and Josh turns to her, having not noticed her arrival.  
“We don’t know where Owen is” he says simply “we have to play a set in like five minutes and that fucking douche bag hasn’t turned up” Sam can tell he’s stressed because he starts pacing, he’s barely blinking and he’s speaking at a million miles an hour. The crew are still setting everything up and Mike is looking angrier that Sam’s seen him in a long time  
“Maybe he’s on his way” she reasons, trying to calm her friend down but they all know he probably won’t turn up, he’s usually the first there so he can scold the other two for being late and not caring about the band as much as him.  
“I’m going to try calling him” Mike says simply before turning and heading somewhere quieter, leaving Sam with Josh.  
Sam doesn’t know what else to say and just watches as Josh runs his hands through his blond hair, lets out a huff of frustration and then kicks a box near him with a growl of anger  
“I am so fucking done with him. What does he expect us to do now? We can’t play a show without a drummer” his tone starts out angry but turns slightly desperate towards the end and Sam stays standing where she is, not liking when Josh gets like this  
“One of the techs could play for us, they have to know at least some of the songs” she tries but she knows that even their drum tech won’t know all of them of by heart. When Josh doesn’t say anything she tries again  
“We could do an acoustic, I have my guitar on the bus and yours is around somewhere. ” Josh looks up to her at this  
“Are you okay to do that? Do you know all the songs?” he asks and even if she didn’t Sam couldn’t say no to the hope in his eyes, but, as it happens she does, she practices pretty much every song they’ve ever written to the point where she could probably play them with her eyes closed because the thought of messing up on stage or not knowing how to play a song a fan asks for is one of her worst nightmares.  
“Yeah, we can still do the same set” she speaks softly and Josh lets out a breath of relief  
“I totally thought of doing an acoustic” Josh lies as they stand up and Sam can tell that the joke is forced, he’s still angry and tense but she plays along anyway.  
“Of course you did.” She smiles and Josh shoots her a smile before heading over to Mike to get everything they need together for the show they have to play in about three and a half minutes.  
The set goes well, surprisingly so, and the fans are only half disappointed to see they’re missing a member because Aftershock rarely do acoustics so most are actually happier than they would have been. They say that Owen couldn’t play due to “an emergency” but Josh didn’t even try to hide the venom in his tone at the mention of the other. Afterwards, Sam and Josh walk around for a bit before going back to the bus and Josh keeps mentioning just how annoyed he is at Owen and all the things he wishes he could say to him.

Sam doesn’t even know how the argument actually starts because Josh had called a “band meeting” in the back lounge so she’d followed them in and now they’re shouting again and she can’t get a word in edgeways  
“You can’t just not turn up for a set!” Josh repeats  
“You were the one who kicked me off my own bus, dick” Owen spits back and after a few more minutes of insults and repeated point Josh just snaps. Sam can see it in his eyes, he’s been pushed past his limit and his voice is quiet as he speaks again  
“You know what? Fuck you. Fuck all of this. I’m done.” There’s a second of silence in the room for the first time in a while before he continues  
“I’m sick of dealing with all your shit everyday. I’m done with this whole thing.” Owen’s smirk grows as he lets out a snort of laughter  
“So you’re just going to leave the band?” he taunts and normally that would have Josh kicking something or maybe even throwing something but this time he just meets Owen’s gaze  
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. This band is through.”  
Owen’s smirk falters and then he’s leaving the room. He’s gone within five seconds. Josh lets out a sigh and it feels like there’s a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, he’s finally done what he’s wanted to do for weeks now and he can feel a sad smile tugging at his lips. But that’s just the amount of time Sam needs for the news to register in her mind, then for her to decide that she needs to get off the bus and for her to run off. Josh sees her go out of the corner of his eye, having forgotten she was there in the midst of his anger, he chases after her, past the crew who don’t have a clue what’s going on but when he gets to the door he can’t see her. He mentally curses himself because that was the worst possible way he could have broken the news to her and he just forgot all about his best friend and he’s never felt like such a bad person in his whole life. Ignoring the questions from Mike and other crew members, Josh grabs a jacket and his phone before heading out into the dark air to find his friend.

The tears are almost blinding as Sam stumbles through the night air, sobs tearing from her lungs to the point where she’s almost choking on them. She isn’t thinking straight, letting her legs carry her wherever her brain is leading them, she doesn’t know where. She doesn’t care. All she can think about right now is the overwhelming feeling of everything crashing down around her. Her whole life collapsing in on itself, and she’s lost in a car park. She finds herself slamming a hand on a bus door and she doesn’t know how long it takes the pink haired boy to open it, because all she can feel is the sting in her eyes and the stabbing pain in her chest and she’s lost all sense of time.  
“Shit” he says when he takes in the small girl standing in front of him, red rimmed eyes, running make up and bare feet. He almost doesn’t recognise her.  
“Shit, shit, shit” she doesn’t move, just stands in the doorway, crying her heart out and looking up at the boy she’s met only once because she doesn’t know what else to do now that she’s lost everything. She feels like she’s lost everything.  
“Jack, get here now” she hears, there’s more muffled voices and then finally Jack’s in front of her  
“What’s up? What’s happened?” he asks, the concern evident in his voice and she tries to speak but all that comes out is another choked sob so he just hugs her, because even Jack, the hyperactive one who’s never affected by anything that life throws at him has been there himself, he recognizes the look in her eyes that is so troubled, so lost, and that the only thing that he can do to help take the edge off the pain is hold her in his arms and promise her the world.  
“Sam, don’t cry, it’s okay. I promise it’s okay” Jack says and even though she knows he doesn’t know what going on, and therefore doesn’t know that everything isn’t going to be okay, it comforts her and she clings to him. She grips him like he’s holding her life in his hands, and as he holds her to his chest, it is like he’s the only thing holding the pieces of her together.

Even though it’s summer, the nights can get bitterly cold and Jack notices that Sam is shaking, he’s not sure whether it’s because of whatever it is that’s happened, or if it’s because she’s cold an in just a t-shirt, he's thinking its the latter, but either way he wants to get her onto the bus where she’ll be more comfortable and hopefully he can get her to talk.  
“Let’s get you on the bus” he murmurs, and when he realises that Sam isn’t going to loosen her grip on him, he just picks her up, letting her legs wrap around his waist and trying his hardest not to hit here om any of the walls as he carries her onto the bus. He’s met with a round of concerned looks from all his band mates and he simply offers them a small smile as Sam continues to sob into his chest, because right now he knows just as much about what’s going on as they do. He manages to get her into his bunk and then climbs in after her, because although there isnt much room, he doesn’t want to invade either of the spaces all the other guys are in, and he thinks she’d rather be somewhere more excluded anyway. As soon as Jack is in, Sam wastes no time crawling back over to him to wrap herself in him again.

It’s cramped and the only way they can fit in is by lying together, and he’s got her wrapped in his arms and pulled close to his chest. It’s a while until Sam’s tears stop, at which point she slowly pulls away a bit, a wave of embarrassment hitting her as the blush takes her. Jack just watches for a moment as she tries to compose herself, she’s curled up as much as is possible in the space and is looking down at her hands, pulling at her lip with her teeth as she tries to keep the tears at bay. She looks so completely devastated and Jack swears it’s killed him a little because he’s seen her crying far too many times for his liking. He thought he’d managed to pull down a few of her walls, break her out of her shell but right now she looks more fenced in than ever. She wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand and Jack sits up a little, moving more onto his side so he cam see her properly, wrapping an arm back around her and pushing his hand under her shirt to rub at her back

“Sorry” she mumbles “I probably ruined your night”  
“You didn’t” he dismisses and uses his free hand to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear so he can look her in the eyes  
“What happened?” he asks softly and she sniffles and opens her mouth to speak but as soon as she does the tears start to come again and she has to swallow them back. Jack wipes away the few that a trailing down her cheek with his thumb and smiles a little at her as she smiles back sadly in that bunk it feels like they're the only two people in the world.  
“Start at the beginning, Sam. We’ve got all the time in the world." he says quietly.  
Then she tells him everything, how Owen and Josh would argue, how the arguments had been getting progressively worse, how Josh had seemed so happy when they were together, how Owen would always treat her, which seemed to get to him because he held her that little bittighter then. She goes on to tell him about the argument just an hour or so before and how it had ended. Jack can’t even begin to comprehend what she must be going through, and though maybe her band hadn’t always been the happiest, he knows for a fact that if All Time Low were to ever break up he’d be far beyond destroyed.

“Oh Sam, I’m so sorry” he breaths as he pulls her close  
“It’s my fault, Jack. It’s my fault” she cries into his chest “I never did enough for the band. I never did anything.” He’s holding her so tight it’s almost painful but Sam doesn't mind because its a feeling other than nothing.  
"I should have stopped it. I should have made things better." She continues until Jack kisses her. He kisses her because he wants to, because he’s wanted to for a while now. Because she’s in front of him and crying and he wants her to be happy. Jack wants to make her feel strong and loved, like she’s the most beautiful person in the world. There are so many negative things tumbling out of her mouth and he wants her to know, to understand, that not one of the things she’s saying about herself is true. He wants to stop the lies from coming and replace them with the truth that she is beautiful and valued and amazing, she’s Jack’s little treasure. He kisses her because people shouldn’t cry, especially people as perfect as her. Then he pulls back after just a few blissful moments because it was totally inappropriate for him to even think of doing that; she comes to him when she’s upset and he’s selfish enough to do what he wants regardless of her. Jack realises he’s a dick.

“Shit, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry. I mean, I did mean it but it was a dick move. I’m so sorry” he flusters and Sam just cracks a small smile, not just at his frantic stuttering, but also at the fact that he'd kissed her and then she takes the biggest risk she’s taken since quitting school for the band and reconnects their lips. He’s shocked to say the least, but it only takes him a fraction of a second to have his lips moving back against hers and a hand moving up her cheek as his eyes slip shut. After a short while of what Jack considers to be pure bliss, he pulls back a little, resting his forehead on hers with his eyes still shut as he murmurs  
“I really like you” he feels kind of vulnerable, never really having been the sort to lay himself out like that and be quite so open to rejection.  
“I really like you too” Sam murmurs in response and his lips break out in the biggest smile she’s ever seen him wearing before he kisses her for a third time.

Their lips move effortlessly together and Jack puts one hand at the small of her back as the other glides up to nearer her shoulder so he can pull her to him, never in his life has he ever wanted to be so close to someone. Her fingers are curling in the hairs at the back of his neck as he tentatively traces over her bottom lip with his tongue before she opens her mouth to him. Every other time she's been in this situation she's been nervous and she knows if it were anyone else she'd be terrified right now, but it's not, it's Jack, and the whole thing feels completely natural. He moves over her, so she's on her back and he's above her, legs tangling together. They continue with this for a while, and it could be ten minutes or an hour, but it doesn't matter either way because its soft and sweet, noses bumping occasionally and drawing smiles from the pair. It's just enough and it's just the distraction that Sam needs.

Jack pulls away again, keeping his face close as he speaks  
"I'm really sorry about what's happened, Sam and I want you to know that I'm here for you as a friend or, uhh, a boyfriend, no matter what happens now. I really care about you, a lot more than I usually do about girls so yeah, I just wanted to make sure you knew that." He blushes as he finishes and she smiles a little  
"Thank you Jack, it really means a lot" she murmurs back and they both just smile as Jack pulls her back into his chest, her arms snaking around his waist and burying her face in the crook of his neck as he presses a kiss to the top of her head.


	6. You're Worth Far More Than One Hit

Sam spends most of the night awake and crying because when Jack’s asleep he can’t do anything to help the thousands of thoughts from swirling in Sam’s mind. She keeps drifting in and out of sleep, a thought morphing into the form of a nightmare and waking her every time she gets anywhere near peaceful. She’s been in a position similar to this before, where everything seems to be crumbling around her; and in the depths of her mind she knows it gets better, she knows things aren't completely ruined because Josh wouldn't let that happen, but those thoughts are being drowned by everything else, everything that’s telling her it’s her own fault and that she deserves everything she gets.

At around half six in the morning Sam’s exhaustion pulls her into something resembling a quiet sleep and it’s about three hours later without interruption that Alex peers into Jack’s bunk  
“You’re usually good at getting rid of girls before the morning, Jack” he teases, because joking is what he always does and he doesn't know what else to do because he doesn't know what happened with Sam the night before  
“She’s not a one night thing, Alex, and she’s still asleep so piss off,” Jack practically growls back, pulling her small frame closer to his chest as he speaks, tucking her head into the crook of his neck, his arms resting at her waist. Alex just shakes his head fondly as he moves away; because Sam literally came out of nowhere, and he’s sure she’s not going to be leaving anytime soon.

Jack just looks at Sam for a few seconds and smiles a little bit when he sees her looking so peaceful and contented, a stark comparison to how destroyed she’d been just the night before. After a few moments she stirs a little, eyes fluttering open  
“Good morning Sammy” Jack murmurs when she seems to focus in on him, warm breath tickling her neck as he speaks. She smiles involuntarily at the pet name she’d hate anyone else for using; Jack just makes it seem so natural  
“Hey Jacky” she says back quietly, not minding one bit when Jack pulls their bodies even closer together, his chin nuzzling into her shoulder and she swears she feels him press a kiss to the skin there but it’s so gentle she knows she probably imagined it.  
“Do you want to do something today?” he asks, as nervously as confident Jack ever is because maybe now it won’t just feel like a date, it will actually be a date. Unless they’re past that stage. Jack doesn't completely know how these things work.  
“What did you have in mind?” Sam responds quietly and Jack moves again, wanting to be able to see her eyes that are always so expressive as she speaks. His large nose brushes against hers as he continues  
“There’s a sort of barbecue thing with loads of people from all the bands on tour since we're staying here for the day, and we talk and drink and play games and it’s great. You should come with me.” Sam bites her lip, she so desperately wants to say yes but every fiber of her being, every instinct she has, screams no; something bad is bound to happen.  
“Please?” Jack reaches for her hand and twines their fingers  
“I’ll stay with you, and we’ll only talk to nice people. I promise you’ll have fun and maybe it’ll take your mind off things a bit” he smiles, trying to keep her spirits up.  
“Okay” she breathes, taking the gamble. Jack then leans forward and presses his lips to hers which is apparently something they do now and Sam doesn't mind at all. It’s not quite light enough for Sam to see the blush colouring his cheeks when he pulls back, he’s so used to just acting on impulse that thinking about things before he does them isn't really something he does.

Only a few minutes of quiet conversation later, the bunk curtain is pulled back and Rian’s face fills the gap  
“Hey, we’re going soon, if you’re coming” he smiles, not totally sure how to address Sam since they’d never properly spoken, and it’s obvious that something happened between her and Jack last night, though exactly what he doesn't know. There are crew members subtly making bets on it in the lounge of the bus.  
“Go without us, we need to get Sam a change of clothes anyway” Jack tells him and Sam turns around to offer Rian a tiny smile before he leaves. Jack waits the few minutes it takes for the rest of his friends to leave before the pair get out of their bunk, he makes her a coffee before leaving her in the lounge for a few minutes as he gets changed into a clean version of pretty much exactly the same outfit.  
"You can wear these shoes if you want, they might be a bit big but I'm sure they'll do the job." He smiles when he walks back in. Luckily he pulls her from her thoughts before she gets too lost in them because she’s definitely not run out of tears. She takes the pumps off him and quickly slips them on, noting that they're only one size too big and therefore can't be Jacks since his feet are probably at least three sizes bigger than hers but right now she’s more focused on not breaking down than on whose shoes she’s wearing.

When they walk, hand in hand, from his bus to hers, neither talk, and its not awkward, it never is between them, it's comforting, and Sam knows if it weren't for Jacks firm grip on her, both last night and now, she'd be an utter wreck; and though she's definitely not okay, she feels like she's falling apart, as long as Jack is beside her it feels that bit more manageable and a hell of a lot less daunting because Jack wouldn't let something like that bring him down so why should she? She changes quickly, only really taking time to do her makeup in an attempt to hide her tear stained cheeks and mask her tiredness then she runs a brush through her hair before she's back with Jack in the bus' little kitchenette. He gives her the sort of smile that's comforting, but not patronising, and still has little butterflies popping up in Sam's stomach. He stands in front of her silently and pulls her in for a hug she didn't realize she needed  
"You tell me the moment it gets too much, okay?" he says after a few moments of just holding her "we can go back to the bus as soon as you want to, anything you need Sammy, just tell me and I'll do it." She nods into his chest and he presses a kiss to the top of her head as his hand rubs her back before they separate, fingers tangling once more as Jack leads the way toward the part of the previous day’s venue that has been set up to hold the large number of band members that are already quickly filling it.

They keep a bit to themselves for a little while, making small conversation and each getting a drink before Jack is approached by someone. He seems nice and though Sam doesn't recognise him, she has a feeling he might recognise her because of the sympathetic looks he occasionally throws her and how he doesn't seem to mind that in their five minute conversation, Sam hasn't uttered a word. She’s holding one of Jack’s hands in both of hers, absentmindedly playing with his fingers as she stands close to his side. Jack seems to notice how she’s been staring into space for a while now and after saying his goodbyes to his friend, he turns back to Sam.  
“I see Alex, do you want to go talk to them or do you want to go back to the bus?” Jack asks and he seems to have clued on to the fact that she doesn't want to be babied and so he says it like it’s just a normal question, not like he’s trying to look after her.  
“I’m alright. We should go talk to them” her voice is quiet, but it always is, and Jack simply nods, squeezing her hand a little as they head over.

It’s a large crowd consisting of the majority of Jack’s band and crew, most members of another band Sam knows, You Me at Six, and a few people she recognises from the dodge-ball game; they all smile to the pair as they head over. Jack is greeted with a round of “Good to see you mate” and “We were wondering when you’d get here” and other equivalents and it’s only about thirty seconds until the question that Jack should have been expecting is asked  
“Who’s this?” it comes from the lips of Josh Franceschi as he nods towards Sam with a warm smile. Jack freezes for a fraction of a second, fully aware of how everyone is now paying attention, especially his band mates who are eager to know what happened on the bus. He very quickly composes himself with the mask of confidence he’s mastered over the years. Nobody questions you if you’re confident.  
“This is my girlfriend, Sam. She is,” Jack pauses and looks down at her. She smiles slightly at him and he continues “er, was, the guitarist for Aftershock” recognition dawns on the faces of all those around them. News travels fast, and everyone knows a band broke up, they just didn't recognise the name or know the members.  
“Shit, I’m so sorry” Josh says and suddenly all eyes are on her and though she knows they mean well, it only makes her feel worse because at times like these she just wants to blend into the background and all but disappear, but it’s really hard to do that if everybody’s throwing you sympathetic looks every few seconds.  
“It’s okay” she murmurs back, trying to subtly move herself closer to Jack who lets go of her hand in favour of wrapping it protectively around her waist so he can hold her as close as she seems to want to be. Cluing on to her discomfort, he quickly changes the topic of conversation, and once the focus is off her, Sam starts to settle down a bit; all but forgetting the troubles in her mind. The people she’s stood with are all funny and the girl she recognises from dodge-ball, Tay, seems to be making a point of talking to her even if Sam only ever replies with one or two words and it really makes her feel welcome into the group.

After a while, Sam tugs lightly on the hem of Jack’s shirt and he turns away from his conversation to smile down at her  
“What’s up?” he asks  
“I’m just going to get another drink” Sam says, showing him her empty bottle “I’ll only be a minute”  
“You want me to come with you?” he offers but she shakes her head  
“I’ll be okay” she smiles  
“Alright then” Jack understands if she wants to be alone for a little bit and presses a quick kiss to her cheek which has Sam blushing as she heads off. She does want another drink, but she also wants a few minutes to herself to see if she can clear her head a bit and so she walks slowly over to the drinks table that’s already pretty much empty, and picks out a bottle before beginning the search for a bottle opener.

She’s barely paying attention and is caught completely off guard when something knocks her shoulder and she’s almost sent to the ground, only just managing to catch onto the edge of the table to keep herself upright  
“It’s your fault!” A voice bellows and she recognises it all too well, turning only to come face to face with Owen. It’s obvious that whatever he did after leaving the bus the previous night wasn't healthy; his bloodshot eyes glazed over and managing to be both distant and intently staring at Sam at the same time. She backs away, wanting to call for help or just do something because the look in his eyes isn't a nice one, but she can’t, she can’t make the sounds roll off her tongue and she can’t tear her eyes away from him.  
“Hey!” another voice she recognises, Josh. She wills herself to turn to look for him but she can’t as she stumbles backwards, almost falling to the ground again  
“Back off” Josh growls, getting closer but Owen’s eyes don’t move from Sams until Josh pushes at his shoulders, sending the drummer stumbling backwards. It wasn't a hard push but, in Owen’s current state, he’s struggling to keep walking as it is.  
“Owen, calm down.” Josh spits at him and Sam cowers back as Owen’s attention is drawn to the other male, but then back to her  
“She fucking ruined everything” he growls  
“It was my fault, Owen, I quit the band” by now there’s a small crowd forming, people not quite ready to get involved because an argument is just an argument and nobody wants to get caught up in the affairs of a band they don’t know.

Owen and Josh just stand shouting at each other for a minute or so, both only growing angrier as Sam just stands a little way away, feeling too involved to get away completely, as much as she would like to, yet too scared to do anything. Then another figure is approaching the pair, and Sam recognises the shape of Jack instantly. He lays a hand on Owens shoulder, trying to push him back and she tries to move forward to get Jack away from him but Alex stops her, putting an arm in front of her and giving her a look that’s both sympathetic and one of warning so she stops where she is. Things seem to have calmed down a little, Jack talking calmly and Sam, and everybody else, seems to think confrontation has been avoided. It only lasts a few short moments, though.

Sam can’t help the cry escape her lips when she sees Owen’s fist swinging, and she lurches forward when the blonde’s knuckles connect with the side of Jack’s face and sends the taller male stumbling sideways, but there are a strong pair of arms pulling her back. It all happens so quickly from there, she’s not focusing on the arms she’s struggling to wriggle out of because she can just see Owen swing again, but this time at Josh, knocking him to the ground and then Jack’s arm swinging in retaliation. Then there’s too many people trying to pull them apart and she loses sight of him. There’s a lot of shouting when she finally gets free of the constraint that Alex had become, and then she stumbles toward Jack, weaving past the people holding him back and practically throws herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle because he’s such a fucking idiot. She feels his arms wrap back around her softly and then she pulls back so she can see his face.

“You’re so stupid.” she says just loud enough that he can hear but his mind is in a different place altogether as he comes to terms with the fact that he actually just punched a guy. His nose is bleeding a bit but most of the damage is visible in the area around his eye and the top of his cheek which is definitely going to bruise. Jack just starts laughing  
“I just punched a guy” he beams, and Sam just shakes her head as she pulls him in close and buries her face in his neck. The rest of the people around them are now more occupied with getting Owen the hell out of the way and getting an ice pack and cloth for Josh and Jack which somebody hands to Sam after a few minutes. She sets about wiping up Jacks face, the trails of blood coming from his nose. He senses that she’s tense and he doesn't know what to do.  
“I’m sorry” he says  
“Why would you punch him back?” she asks “why would you even get involved in the first place?” he can’t tell if she’s upset with him  
“Because he was talking shit about you? I wasn't just gonna let him do that.” Jack says simply, because to him it is simple  
“And you got punched in the face.”  
“But he was going to attack you or something.”  
“He wouldn't have done it, Jack.” she doesn't believe that one bit “someone would have stopped him. You didn't have to get involved.”  
“I’m sorry, Sam, I guess I was just acting on instinct. I only wanted to protect you.” He seems sad, like he’s messed up and Sam doesn't know why she’s angry because it’s not like he did anything wrong.  
“Please don’t be mad” he says, misinterpreting her quiet thinking as quiet anger and she melts a little inside  
“I’m not mad” she murmurs, letting him take her hand in his and playing softly with his fingers. “I guess I just don’t see why you bothered”  
“Because he was going to hit you” he says like it’s totally obvious, and really, it should be  
“But I’m not worth getting hit for, he’s really hurt your nose” she worries, tentatively placing her fingers on the bruised skin  
“I’m fine, and your worth far more than one hit, Sam” he smiles and anything that was left of her heart has dissolved into butterflies, come back together and then dissolved into more little butterflies to the point she can swear she can physically feel the process in her chest as a smile erupts on her face.


	7. A Diamond Among the Stones

Sam just sits and looks at Jack for a little bit, his large brown eyes looking warmly back at her and she starts to smile again. She smiles because it appears to her like she’s found a diamond among the stones, and though some might argue she’s just found her favourite diamond among a whole lot of diamonds, because, you know, everyone’s special and all that; Sam definitely prefers the first metaphor, because Jack is definitely different to everyone else. He definitely shines.

She settles in front of him, one hand holding the ice pack to his nose and Jack has already taken her other hand in his own  
“Does it not hurt?” she asks because he hasn’t complained once, almost half of his face is purple and there’s still little bits of blood around his nose which she wipes away with her thumb.  
“Nope” he says and she just gives him a disbelieving look that makes him let out a sigh and give up on his attempts of trying to look tough because apparently its not working.  
“It hurts like a bitch and it’s given me a headache” he says  
“You’re an idiot” she tells him and moves the ice pack slightly, Jack trying to hide his slight wince as she does so  
“You’re not making me feel any better you know?” he says but she can tell he’s joking  
“Well you brought it upon yourself” she jokes back and they both just laugh a little before Jack leans over the short distance and kisses her. She wasn’t expecting it at all and so he manages to push her back a bit until she puts a hand up into his hair to keep herself steady, rocking back forward. She’s forced to move the ice pack because now her own face is moving to be in the way. Neither of them consciously make the decision to move, but when they do after a few moments, Sams nose hits Jacks and normally they’d just smile it off, but this time pain shoots through Jack and he pulls back quickly.  
“Fuck” he says  
“Shit I’m sorry I didn’t mean to” she panics, handing him the ice pack which he quickly presses to the side if his face. Sam just sits and waits for him to say something, not wanting to do anything in case she hurts him again.

“Don’t go all quiet on me now, it was my fault, I started it” he teases and Sam doesn’t know why but she blushes, and then Jack moves so he’s sat beside her. He plants his arm behind her and she leans a little back into it, and him, resting her head on his chest.  
“Are you okay?” he asks quietly and she turns ever so slightly so she can look into his eyes  
“You have a potentially broken nose and you’re asking me if I’m okay?” she tries to joke but it doesn’t quite work because he’s being serious  
“You know what I mean, Sammy”  
“I’m surviving.” she smiles a smile that’s not half as big as Jack would like it to be  
“All because your knight in shining armour came along and saved you” Sam laughs, the smile Jack wishes she could wear permanently re-appearing on her face. He really just can’t help himself so he leans in to connect their lips again and it takes Sam about a second after the initial contact to pull away.  
“Jack” she says but he cuts her off with another quick kiss  
“I don’t think this is a good idea, what if I hit your nose again?”  
“I don’t care”  
“But Jack,”  
“Shut up” he chuckles and cuts her off before she can say anything else. Sam forgets everything for a little while, getting lost in Jack, her boyfriend. She still can’t quite believe she gets to call him that.

She and Jack are still sat together when Josh approaches, Sam gives him a warm smile as he sits himself down in front of them  
“Hey, I’m Josh” he says, more to Jack who introduces himself in return “thanks for helping me out up there, I honestly thought for a minute he was going to take me out”  
“It’s no problem, the guy had gone insane” Jack smiles back lightly. Josh hadn’t been hit quite as hard as Jack so he’s just got a black eye and not nearly as much bruising. They stay there for a little while, talking a lot about the split and then Jack asks the question that Josh had sort of been expecting  
“Do you know what you're gonna do next?”  
“Another band on the tour has invited me to sing for them for at least a few tours, uhh, their singer’s girlfriend is pregnant and he’s quit the band.” he sees Sam try to hide the hurt in her eyes as she musters a smile and Josh feels the need to defend himself  
“I didn’t know that when I quit the band, I just knew I had to get away from Owen. They only gave me the offer today” he explains and Sam just nods  
“So are you gonna take it?” Jack asks and subconsciously wraps his arm around Sam a little tighter  
“I think so, it’s a good offer and I like the guys so why not?” he smiles a bit and that makes Sam smile too  
“I think you should” she says, and that’s all Josh needs to be sure of his decision. He can’t help but feel bad for what he did, he knows he should probably have talked to her about it first and he definitely shouldn’t have sprung such a huge, life changing thing on her like he did but he reached a point where if he didn’t, he would have done something really stupid.

The barbecue thing sort of half carries on around them, people often coming over and asking if they’re all okay and Alex sits with them for a little while at one point. Sam’s just happy that Jack and Josh get along and that Josh has something good coming up for him. She’s not so happy that after this tour ends she has an empty flat and no solid plans to go to, but she’s making a point not to think about that right now. Jack drops her off at her bus a little later, because as much as she’d like to stay on Jack’s bus again, she also feels like she should stay with Josh considering Owen won’t be there, having been sent off the tour.  
“I’ll see you tomorrow” he murmurs and kisses her softly, pulling away too soon because he knows if he carries it on he’ll be forced to steal her and take her back to his bus with him  
“Call me in the morning” she smiles and he gives her one final peck on the lips and a grin before actually leaving.

A few days later and she’s preparing herself for her first ever interview on her own, she’s terrified. She usually doesn’t talk much in these things, leaving most of the talking to Josh though she’ll always answer if it’s a question directed at her. They’re sat by a tree behind some of the busses and there are people around but there’s not a lot of noise. It’s some online magazine that Sam hasn’t heard of but they wanted individual member interviews on the split and so here she is, the pretty blonde girl beside her introducing her.  
“So, Sam” she begins and Sam can already feel herself tensing up “was the split of the band a mutual thing?” she says yes because she thinks that’s what’s best. The questions continue in a similar way and though they’re not difficult to answer, they make everything seem a hundred times more real, like up until now it’s all been one long daydream that’s suddenly become a harsh reality. It only gets worse when she asks the next question and Sam can feel the pit of her stomach churning in the way that it does when you’re about to start crying.  
“What’s happened to Owen?” the girl asks, looking up to Sam with a warm smile which she tries to return but she just can’t  
“He, umm, got kicked out of the band” she knows that Josh is going to be asked the exact same questions and their answers will be compared in some attempt at getting the truth “he wasn’t pulling his weight in the band and generally wasn’t acting in a very nice way so we told him to leave”  
“Is it true he got sent off the tour?”  
“Yeah, he was being violent so he was forced to leave” she answers with a stiff smile and there’s a bit of a silence before the girl moves straight onto the next question without commenting  
“Have you got any plans of where you’re going to go next?” Sam’s been avoiding thinking about it since its been important that she did, but she can’t run from the question anymore now that she’s being filmed.  
“Not really, no”  
“No idea at all? Are we going to be hearing from you again?”  
“I don’t know, I have no idea” she can feel her chest tightening that little bit in the way that she knows always comes just before the tears.

“Finally, on a nicer note, there’s been rumour of you and a certain Mr Jack Barakat getting close, is it just friends or is there something more there?” she looks at her in an almost predatory way as Sam blushes and looks down at her hands as she pulls at the grass beneath them. Sam doesn’t know what to say because she and Jack haven’t discussed going public yet., she doesn’t know if she wants to herself.  
“Yeah, umm, I guess we’ve got pretty close”  
“A lot of people are asking how you two met, have we got a Warped Tour romance on our hands?” Sam knows it’s pretty much the exact same question but worded in a way which means she has to say exactly what type of close they are.  
“He bought me pizza so I guess you could say so” she answers honestly but tries to make a bit of a joke of it to make it feel less intense and she can’t help but smile; this time it’s genuine  
“Quite the charmer” the girl says as if she knows Jack personally, and Sam’s almost ninety-nine percent sure she doesn’t, so she just blushes again and gives a little “yeah”. The girl finishes up the interview and when Sam’s finally allowed to go, she goes in between two buses where she knows she won't be seen and cries a litte because she just needs to get it all out. Then, after cleaning herself up, she heads to where she knows Jack will be playing and stands side stage as she waits for him to finish his set.

When he does, he bounces over to her, full of energy and pulls her into a tight hug, lifting her off the ground for a few seconds before he places her back on the ground and grins at her  
“I didn’t expect you to come today” he says, taking her hand and leading her away, following behind the rest of his band as they head back to their bus  
“Interview finished early so I thought I might as well” she smiles back but Jack can see it’s not all there  
“Shit, how’d it go?” he asks, eyebrows knitting together  
“Okay I guess, I think I may have made us public by accident though” she bites the inside of her lip a little, hoping Jack won’t mind. He just laughs and lifts their joined hands  
“It’s not like we’re subtle, Sammy, I think everyone already knows.” She blushes a bit and realises that of course Jack doesn’t mind going public, he doesn’t get worked up about these things like she does.  
“I don’t mind being public with this if you don’t” he says seriously, looking at her with a warm smile  
“I don’t mind either”. Jack resists the urge to stop in the middle of the venue and start kissing her because although they've decided they don't care who knows, that might be a bit too much. It's not been long but Sam just seems to fit in with Jack and his band, maybe it's because she doesn't really say much and mostly just stays curled into Jack's side but when she does speak as she is increasingly often, she makes them laugh. She's seen all the same films as they all have and tough she doesn't get any of their in jokes and she actually knows barely anything about any of them, she fits in a lot better than she ever thought she would. She feels safe and that means she's comfortable to be more herself.

Later on when Jack has to go do some press Sam joins Josh on the bus, he’s sat in the back lounge and she sits on the opposite sofa with her laptop perched on her knee.  
“How was your interview?” he says as a way of starting conversation  
“It was okay, some of the questions were a little difficult to answer” she says  
“Did they ask you about Jack?” Josh smirks  
“Yeah, she was pretty insistent about it as well”  
“Have you gone public?” Josh asks with genuine interest  
“Yeah, I guess so. We’re going to be honest about it without being overly open I think.”  
“Well good because I think he’s great” Sam blushes a little. Jack is great.  
“You’ve met him once”  
“And he was great” they both smile, laugh a little and the conversation ends because Josh knows what he wants to talk to her about, he just doesn’t know how to bring it up. Sam doesn’t mind the quiet, she’s still bathing in the afterglow of being with Jack and she’s just doing things that need doing on her laptop when she logs into twitter, she doesn’t use it much but she likes to check it now and then. She has more mentions since she last checked it last week sometime than she’s ever had in her whole time having an account, and surprisingly few of them are about the split of the band, the majority being about her and Jack.

Her curiosity gets the better of her and she has a quick look through them. Most are just speculating whether they are actually together or just good friends, some “fangirling” over how good they look together which makes Sam smile more than she’d care to admit. She finds a few with attached photos of them together, a lot from the dodgeball, lots showing them backstage at each other’s shows and a few just of them hanging out. One tweet she sees tells her that Jack followed her and she doesn’t know why it makes her so happy but it does as she follows him back and feels like the smile on her face is never going to fade. Josh speaks and she quickly exits out of the tab

“What?” she asks and turns to find him looking at her  
“Have you thought at all about what you’re going to do now?” he says, he’d been asked the same question during his interview and only then had he wondered what Sam’s answer to the question would be  
“They asked that in the interview” she sighs, shutting her laptop lid because she knows that this is a conversation that needs proper attention  
“What did you say?”

“That I don’t know, I honestly don’t.” she stops for a moment, thinking “I feel kind of lost right now” she admits and Josh’s heart sinks a little as he sees the sudden vulnerability in her eyes  
“I’m sorry” he continues, still feeling to blame “we could have just got a new drummer but I still don’t think it would have worked out.” there’s a pause as Sam doesn’t know what to say and Josh tries to word what he wants to say in the right way “I guess I just wasn’t feeling it anymore in the band, I needed something new. I think we all did.” when he finishes he looks at Sam and waits for her to speak  
“Yeah” she says, because now he’s put it into words, it makes a lot of sense “There was something about the band that never felt quite right” Josh smiles a little because she agrees but it’s sad because they’re basically just admitting to themselves that the past few years of their life have been a waste of time.  
“I don’t even know where to begin starting again, Josh. This band has been all I’ve had for so long.” she says  
“Well do you want to join another band? I’m sure you could find something, you’ve got experience” Josh offers and she thinks it over for a moment before deciding that no, band life isn’t her thing  
“I don’t think so, not yet anyway.” she answers before adding on the end “I think I want to stay in music though, if I can.”  
“You don’t have to start doing something straight away, you can always take a bit of time off”  
“Yeah” she says because she’s not really the sort to spend a lot of money so she’s got a fair bit in the bank “I’ve got my apartment still” she’d started renting it about six months before and had six months left, at the moment she just uses it as a place to keep all her things and somewhere to go when they break from touring.

They go through a string of other things that Sam starts thinking about doing, Josh thinks she could be part of a band’s crew but Sam’s fairly sure she wants a break from life on tour. The idea of being a session guitarist floats about, there are lots of things in the industry that she could do it’s just that none of them feel quite right when she thinks about it.  
“You could write songs, you’re really good at that and you can always try something else at the same time” Sam smiles at the thought, it sounds nice. Something she can picture herself doing  
“If you sent some demos to a producer I bet they’d love to have you write for one of their artists. People do make a living off it” he pushes quite excitedly, because he’s known Sam for a long time and he genuinely thinks this could be the right thing for her and it’s also the only job he’s mentioned that’s made her smile  
“Yeah. It’s worth a try” She smiles “I can always get a job somewhere in the meantime.”  
“I swear to god Sam, if you settle for some shit part time job in a crappy shop I will actually kill you” Josh warns her completely seriously  
“Well I’ll have to see what I can get, Josh, I don’t exactly have the best qualifications”  
“I’ll make it my mission to get you fired from every crap job you get, this is your warning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I have so far, the last chapter will hopefully be out over the next weeks or so (being very hopeful) and the sequel(s) probably in the summer after all my exams!


	8. The Deepest Deep End There is

It’s the last day of warped tour and everyone’s a little upset, the packing of the buses for the final time this year feeling like another ending before they all go their separate ways. All Time Low are going straight back on tour, hitting Europe for what’s left of the summer while Sam goes back to her flat in California. Both Sam and Jack are are very aware that this is happening and are yet to bring it up. They’d met up especially early, sitting outside Jack’s bus while the venue was just setting up and they’ve barely left each other’s side since, both of their sets timing perfectly so they’ve been able to stay together throughout the day. It’s getting late now and it’s slowly growing darker, and getting a lot colder which is why, as they sit on the same bit of grass they did this morning, Sam’s got Jack’s hoodie over her shoulders, the sleeves several inches too long and the hood covering her eyes when it’s up. It’s warm and smells distinctly of Jack so Sam’s happy to snuggle back into it and zip it up to her chin.

They’re sat opposite each other and Jack has her song book resting on her knees; it’s open to a page that Sam chose to show him after he spent days trying to persuade her to sing him one of her songs. She bites her lips as she watches him read the words she carefully put together, she just wants him to like it  
“What’s it go like?” Jack asks as his eyes scan over the lyrics written in her neat, curly handwriting  
“It’s just a tune” she shrugs, unsure how to explain  
“Sing it for me” he ushers, looking up to her as she just shakes her head lightly so Jack turns back to the book, tracing the lyrics with his finger as he sings them tunelessly  
“And it feels like I haven't seen you in days, and it feels like I'll never see you again. Like that?” he questions with a small smile, looking up at her and she shakes her head. She hums the actual tune to the words and he nods along, following where he thinks the words will go. Jack tries again, singing to what he remembers of the tune she hummed to him and placing the words into it and she giggles because there’s a reason Jack isn't his band’s singer, and it lie’s in the fact he can’t sing in tune to save his life.  
“Shut up” he grumbles playfully, smiling fondly at the girl across from him.  
“You’re stressing all the wrong parts” she tells him  
“Come here and show me then” he instructs, patting the space next to him and she does, clambering over to him and sitting beside him. Jack shuffles closer to her until their thighs are touching and rests the book on both their knees

“Sing it with me” he smiles  
“Okay, just like, sing along with me” she murmurs, looking down at the book and Jack just looks at her for a short moment longer before casting his eyes down as well  
“And it feels like I haven't seen you in days, and it feels like I'll never see you again” she sings quietly, Jack singing each word just after her, making her giggle softly. His finger follows onto the next line  
“And it only goes to show you never really cared, why should I have to pretend you're ever there? It only goes to show you don't know” he tries to catch up and sing it at the same time but he stretches out the words that are supposed to be sung quickly and doesn't hold the long ones for long enough. Sam’s smile is growing as she continues  
“But I don't need a cure - this is not a disease, I'm not even sure why I'm down on my knees” Jack doesn't know that the pace increases at that part and was still trying to sing them slowly as she sings them more quickly. Sam starts laughing, causing her to not be singing the song properly which in turn means Jack is getting it even more wrong and making Sam laugh even harder.

“Stop laughing!” Jack exclaims but he’s not really mad, far from it, and Sam curls over as the laughs come out of her chest and she’s now laughing mostly because she’s happy and she just can.  
“Stop laughing at me” Jack repeats, grinning and laughing a little himself as he circles his arms around her waist and pulls her back up and into his chest. She eventually manages to calm down to just the odd giggle, resting her head on his chest as the last few laughs escape her lips.  
“You have a nice voice” Jack tells her after a short silence. Her voice isn't amazing, she doesn't sound like an angel that’s descended from heaven and she’s never going to get a number one single by belting out a power ballad, but she sounds very much like Sam and Jack thinks that’s more than perfect.

“Thank you, I wish I could say the same to you” she giggles again and Jack’s shocked expression sets her off into another fit of giggles. He falls a little bit more in love with her then. He’s found recently that every time he manages to pull her walls down a little further, she shows him something that makes it all worth it and only makes him want to tear them down quicker, like when she says something cheeky and sarcastic and shows Jack what she can really be like. Those moments are Jack’s favourites, alongside when he does something to make her laugh as hard as she’s laughing now, because he really see her, not the front that she puts up around other people, he sees the real her and, selfish as it sounds, he loves the fact he’s maybe the only person in the world who’s ever truly seen her and the girl he’s finding behind all the walls is the girl he’s falling in love with.

It’s there inside him and he knows deep down, with absolute certainty, that she’s the one for him. He’s going to fall in love with her, and he’s going to remain in love with her for the rest of his life, he’s just not quite there yet. He’s only just beginning to venture into those waters, slowly tiptoeing his way into the deep end. But eventually, and it may take another day, another month, or another ten years, he’s going to realize it; and the floor of the metaphorical swimming pool he’s wading through is going to fall from beneath his feet to make the deepest deep-end there is. Love.

“I’m going to miss you” she says bluntly, pulling him back from the thoughts that had been swirling in his mind and bringing a stupid smile to his face. Then he feels a tug in his chest, smile vanishing.  
"I'm going to miss you too"  
“I’m no good at long distance things.” she continues and for her, it’s a sort of invitation for him to comfort her; to him, it’s halfway to being dumped  
“Please don’t break up with me” he says because he panicked, he now realizes it was the least cool way he could possibly have made the point he wanted to, but now that he’s done it he’s just looking at Sam with wide, hopeful eyes.  
“Why would I break up with you?” she asks, just as confused as Jack is scared  
“Because long distance relationships suck? and I’m going to be gone all the time and you could easily find someone far better than me who you could see all the time because he’s not going to be in fucking Europe while you’re in Cali” he rambles and this time it’s Sam who initiates a kiss, giggling a little as she pulls Jack into her by his jacket and then wraps her arms around his neck as she falls back and pulls him on top of her

“Not breaking up with you.” she says with a little smile when she pulls away and he can’t even attempt to contain the grin that spreads across his features  
“Good” he murmurs “because you're really pretty" Jack says, he'd normally call a girl sexy or hot but Sam's more than that; she's talented and sweet and she's a great kisser and she's intelligent, thoughtful, kind, generous, selfless, funny and she's an amazing cuddler. Sam's quiet but brave and gentle but strong and Jack knows she's all these things and so much more, he thinks she's little short of perfect, but he just doesn't know how to say it.  
"And I really, really like you" he finishes.  
"I really, really like you too" she says with a blush. Jack blushes as well because up until about four weeks ago he’d never been the sort to wear his heart on his sleeve but he feels the need to assert what they have before they separate, he needs to know that she’s his.

“So you definitely want to do the whole long distance thing? because it’s hard, well, I've never actually done it but I hear it’s hard” he looks down to her with a small smile and he doesn't know why he said it because basically he’s just giving her more reasons to not be with him.  
“Definitely.” she says and then she murmurs “I- I think you’re worth it” he gets the fluttering in his stomach that he’s grown accustomed to over the past few weeks  
“We can Skype and stuff” he says, pulling her back up to a sitting position  
“I don’t have an account” she murmurs, smirking a little at him  
“Well make one” he says playfully  
“You’re not the boss of me” she laughs and he just shakes his head as he chuckles and grins at her.  
“Promise you’ll Skype me though” he says, wanting the confirmation  
“I promise” she laughs  
“Pinky promise?” she looks down to see his pink pointing towards her  
“You’re lame” she murmurs as she links her little finger around his  
“For the promise to be real you've got to seal it with a kiss” he adds and she blushes and raises an eyebrow  
“Really?”  
“I don’t make the rules, Sam, it’s just the way things are” he’s already leaning down toward her and she happily meets him halfway because in just a few hours they’re going to be separated for two months and they've not got any time to waste. She moves her hand up to his cheek as his go to her waist and they both smile into the kiss as they move, Jack pulling her that little bit closer and Sam pressing into him as they forget that there are people around them.

Normally, someone would catcall or shout something at them, in a joking way, because couples on Warped tour aren't all that common and it’s always fun to tease people. But, the thing is, Jack knows everyone, and so there’s a huge amount of people who could say something to them but everyone seems to be a little bit in love with them as a couple, just like they’re a little bit in love with each other, and everyone also knows that it’s their last day together and so don’t disturb them and on the All Time Low bus which is parked nearby, Alex pushes back the curtain to the back window, watches his best friend sit with Sam for a few moments and smiles. He’s known Jack for more than ten years and has never seen him quite so happy, not when they got signed, not when Blink 182 reformed, not ever.

His eyes glow as he listens to her and watches her; just being close to her puts a stupid, goofy grin on his face.  
“He’s in love with her,” Rains states from beside Alex  
“Never thought I’d see the day,” Alex laughs lightly because Jack is in love. Jack, who nobody had really expected to ever have any sort of serious relationship, especially not before the age of thirty, has fallen in love with the girl who is opposite to him in every way. She swooped in and changed everyone’s expectations of Jack, but she hasn't changed him. All of his elements are still there, his loyalty, his sense of humor, his optimism and his constant smile has grown considerably. He’s got a shine in his eye that’s now not just for his love of the band, but his love of her. The changes aren't really all that obvious, unless you really know him and he hasn't even noticed them himself; though he’s never really been particularly observant and he does have a new person taking up a large chunk of his thinking time.

“I should probably go” Jack says when they pull back, both a little breathless and he presses their foreheads together “but I really don’t want to.”  
“I know” she sighs, “but if you don’t they’ll resort to physical force”  
“I could totally take Matt in a fight” he laughs because they both know he really couldn't.  
“He’d break your nose again, and it only just healed” she says, tapping his nose and he feigns pain, giving her a dirty look  
“I like that you have so much faith in me.”  
“Be real though, he’d knock you out” she teases  
“If you’re going to keep being mean to me, I’m going to go.” he says, as a threat.  
“The truth hurts.” she giggles  
“That’s it I’m gone.” he’s acting mad but she can see the smile he’s trying to hide “Don’t call me. Don’t even look at me.” he continues in the same dramatic manner as he stands up and walks away. Sam gets up too, watching him go for just a few moments before turning away herself, mentally preparing herself for a month and a half of not seeing Jack. He gets to his bus and Matt is just about to tell him something, probably about being late or something that seems equally stupid to Jack right now. But before the manager can open his mouth to speak, Jack has turned around and dashed back off the bus, he just can’t leave on that note. Even if it’s jokey and funny and sweet and it totally suits them, he just can’t leave it like that.

She’s just a few steps away from her bus when she’s being spun around and an already surprisingly familiar pair of lips are on her own. He’s holding her face in his hands as he leans down to her and she instantly goes up onto her tiptoes so she can better the angle. It’s a little desperate and a little sloppy but it holds more in it than any of their previous kisses  
“Okay so I just had to do that, I’m actually going to go now. Call me or text me or whatever soon okay, so, yeah.” he stammers out, blushing “I’m going to go. Bye” he drops his hands and just looks at her for a few more short moments. He seems to mentally slap himself to come out of the daydream he’d entered  
“I’ll see you soon” he finishes as he takes a step backwards, still not turning his body away from her  
“You too” she smiles back and they both know they’re not going to see each other any time soon but it’s the sentiment that’s nice. Jack finally turns around and goes back to the bus he was really supposed to be on about fifteen minutes ago as Sam gets onto her own.

“I think I understand love songs properly now.” Jack declares as he steps onto the bus, walking through and collapsing into his bunk before anybody can reply. Similarly, Sam goes to her own bunk, song book in hand and, feeling inspired, opens it to the next clean page then starts writing the words that are caught up in her brain. After a short while she reads back over it and smiles a little wider because she thinks she’s just written her first ever love song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is finished! Keep an eye out for "You are my Mountain, you are my Sea" a series of ones-shots continuing from this story!


End file.
